There have been reports that the Biden administration is proposing a ban on gas stoves in the United States due to the fear that they generate dangerous air pollutants.
Gas stove appliances constitute a “hidden threat,” as admitted by Richard Trumka Jr., commissioner of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
It’s all on the table. In an interview with Bloomberg, Trumka said that products that cannot be made safe should be outlawed.
According to Bloomberg, Trumka added that if the government cannot prohibit the production or import of gas stoves, it would explore imposing emissions regulations on the equipment.
Given that around 40% of American households use gas stoves, and given the bureaucratic effort it would take to implement such adjustments, Trumka and the CPSC have received strong opposition over the notion.
More than 40 million homes in the United States use gas ranges. “This kind of authority should never have been given to unelected bureaucrats, and it is time for it to end,” tweeted Rep. Gary Palmer (R-AL) in reaction to Trumka and the CPSC’s proposal on Monday.
As a result of Palmer and others’ criticism on social media, the agency commissioner ultimately decided to abandon the idea.
It should be made clear that the CPSC will not be seizing anyone’s gas ranges. The Biden aide responded to Palmer by saying, “Regulations apply to new items.”
According to research referenced in the Bloomberg article, gas ranges release harmful pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and delicate particulate matter at concentrations associated with respiratory sickness, cardiovascular difficulties, cancer, and other diseases. The institution for Policy Integrity and the American Chemical Society conducted the research.
Twelve percent of all U.S. occurrences of childhood asthma have been connected to the use of gas stoves, according to a recent study peer-reviewed by the outlet.
Any cooking stove or appliance will emit dangerous pollutants. Thus a Washington-based trade organization representing diverse gas manufacturers like Whirlpool is opposed to a countrywide ban on gas stoves.
Vice President of the Association of Home and Appliance Manufacturers Jill Notini told Bloomberg that the focus of the debate should be on ventilation rather than the outright prohibition of any particular technology.
Concerns concerning indoor air quality cannot be mitigated by prohibiting using a single cooking appliance. We may require a shift in habit, that people start using vent hoods when they cook,” Notini said.
Near the end of December, a group of Democratic senators and representatives wrote to Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) chairman Alexander Hoehn-Saric, urging the agency to crack down on gas stoves because they “cause disproportionate air pollution” in the homes of people of color and those with lower incomes.
Multiple Democratic members of Congress, including Senator Cory Booker (N.J.), Senator Elizabeth Warren (Mass. ), Representatives Don Beyer Jr. (Va.), and Ted Lieu (Calif.), signed the letter.