Gas Stoves & Politics

The Implications & Ramifications of a Gas Stove Ban

As congress sessions inevitably drone by, pointless spending bills are being passed. You inevitably ask yourself, “What the (word) are they doing?” Such events constitute most of what’s happening in the United States Congress. However, this time is different as a Biden Administration official proposed a ban on a mundane house appliance, the humble gas stove.

This proposal caused an outcry among some lawmakers. Lawmakers who opposed the ban said the ban is too outrageous and unreasonable. In a Twitter post, U.S. Representative Ronnie Jackson, R-TX, tweeted, “ … They can pry it out of my cold dead hands. COME AND TAKE IT,”. Senator Joe Manchin, D-WV, called the motion “ A recipe for disaster.”

Proponents of the ban pointed to environmental and health reasons for supporting the motion. Jeff Brady, a journalist on the NPR climate desk who is knowledgeable about the ban and the government, said that one of the reasons for supporting the ban is the gas leakage from stoves..

Daniel Gao, an Environmental Geographer and GSI Analysis, disagrees with Brady’s point. He said, “Burning fuels isn’t the sole culprit or the sole culprit to global warming, sea level rise, and environmental change.” And “It may help, but I have no confidence in the science at this stage because they can’t provide a definitive answer to that question.”

Thomas Catenacci is a journalist on Fox News who extensively covered the gas stove proposal. He affirms Gao’s point, noting the suspicious studies and money donated by the RMI (Rocky Mountain Institute).

Richard Trumka is a CSPC (Consumer Products and Safety Commission) official. He told Bloomberg, “Gas stoves are a hidden hazard.” And that “Any option is on the table” concerning the possible ban, and twenty Democrat congressmen/congresswomen had also asked the CSPC to enact tighter restrictions on gas stoves. Kathy Hochul, the Governor of New York, has called for a complete ban on gas stoves by 2028. This motion joined California, which has planned to ban gas stoves by 2030.

“It is estimated that up to 1.3 percent of the gas used in a stove leaks into the atmosphere. Individually, that’s a small climate impact compared to coal-fired power plants. But if you add up the more than forty million gas stoves in the U.S., the amount of leaked methane every year has about the same climate change effect as the carbon dioxide from five hundred thousand gasoline-powered cars.”

“The RMI has close ties to the Chinese government, who are actively trying to undermine American interest.”

Catenacci further pointed out that the source of conservative outcry was “because of all the contradictions. In January, shortly after the RMI-led study was published, a President Biden-appointed official under the Consumer Product Safety Commission said a ban on gas stoves was on the table. However, after significant criticism from industry groups and GOP(Republican) lawmakers, the White House said it wouldn’t support a gas stove ban.”

Brady, however, isn’t concerned with the Republican opposition, noting that the Republicans are receiving campaign funds from America’s largest oil and gas companies.

“Despite a warming planet, Republicans and the oil industry say there’s room for more growth in domestic fossil fuel production. And that oil and gas companies gave campaign contributions overwhelmingly to the GOP.”

Catenacci also noted this point. When asked about conflicts of interest, Catanacci explained that the money flow isn’t the main issue and that the problem comes with the lack of transparency.

Catenacci: “This is true, although the American Gas Association is more open about their research and donors. One of the organizations that supported the ban, Rewiring America, isn’t an independent organization but is a project of the Windward Fund a nonprofit that is part of the billion-dollar dark money network managed by the Washington, D.C.-based Arabella Advisors. The group’s structure allows its funding to be almost completely hidden from public view, meaning its donors remain unknown.”

However, Gao took a more neutral stance based on the effect of this issue. He said that because he worked with the government in enacting environmental projects, he saw the changes in these projects through the changing administration.

“Even though the contents (of my work) might change also because we’re supporting those programs, not in any way where I can say it’s negative or positive, but just constantly changing especially with technology advancing as it is.”

The impact of gas stoves on human health is questioned, with studies going both ways. Additionally, there is finger-pointing going both ways. Catenacci points to research conducted by the American Gas Association, and Brady points to a statement by the American Public Health Association.

Catenacci “One study by the American Gas Association had data collected from more than 500,000 children in 47 countries that detected no evidence of an association between the use of gas as cooking fuel and either asthma symptoms or asthma diagnosis.”

Brady “On the health front, there’s a growing body of evidence that children and those with breathing problems, such as asthma, can experience short and maybe even long-term health effects. The American Public Health Association had just issued a statement calling gas cooking stoves a public health concern. The group called on federal agencies to recognize that and do more to educate people, plus conduct more research on health effects.”

Gao pointed out that instead of focusing on pollution caused by gas, focusing on overcrowding on the roads and the pollution caused by automobiles is more worthwhile.

“For the past ten years, the environment in Austin is just too overcrowded with too many people and too many cars on the road, but during the pandemic with not many cars on the road, the air quality is OK, but before the pandemic, I can say that air pollution is worse.”

The proposal of banning gas stoves that aims to restrict the use of natural gas in households will affect the lives of many. They are saying that it will cause huge inconveniences and that an alternative is either less reliable or unobtainium for the masses. Gao explains the benefits of having gas appliances during challenging times.

“I use natural gas for cooking in my house and for heating. And last week, when the storm [2023 Austin Wind/ Ice Storm] hit, we lost power for three days. Fortunately, we didn’t lose natural gas. So we can cook still, so I used the gas stove and fireplaces to give us some heat.”

Eventually, Congress will be in session again, and gas stoves will be at the forefront of the discussion. With a GOP majority in the house and some Democrats speaking out against the ban, such a measure is unlikely to make it out of Congress. This event has again sparked interest among the American people to discuss the role of government in protecting the environment. While living in such divisive times, such discussions can be heated, but it is best to try and find a permanent solution that will benefit all of humankind.