U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration is planning to ban gas stoves over concerns surrounding climate change.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), a federal agency, is currently considering a ban on gas stoves if they can’t be made safer, due to concerns over harmful indoor pollutants that cause health and respiratory problems. Numerous cities and counties have already enforced policies requiring a shift from fossil fuel-powered buildings.
The ban has not been put in place, though a CPSC commissioner said, “Any option is on the table.” The CPSC also told the media that no regulatory action is currently in place and it would “involve a lengthy process.”
A January 2023 rumor about a possible ban on gas stoves in the United States worried consumers, particularly as noted in conservative media outlets. Some social media users claimed that U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration was considering such a ban over climate change concerns.
This is not completely accurate. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is currently considering a ban on gas stoves in the event the appliances cannot be made safer, but has not proposed any regulations yet. Anything the group proposes would follow a very lengthy process.
Richard Trumka Jr., a CPSC agency commissioner, said in an interview with Bloomberg that a rising concern about hazardous indoor pollutants caused by gas stoves means a possible ban is on the table.
“This is a hidden hazard,” he said. “Any option is on the table. Products that can’t be made safe can be banned.”
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have linked air pollutants from gas stoves to a range of health concerns, including cardiovascular problems and cancer. Peer-reviewed research published in December 2022 in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found around 12 percent of current childhood asthma cases in the U.S. could be attributed to gas stove usage.
While the commissioner did not specify that climate change was one of the factors in this possible policy change, state and local policymakers have already urged a reduced reliance on natural gas in buildings in order to reduce climate-warming emissions.
In December 2022, a number of lawmakers, including U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and Sen. Bernie Sanders, wrote a letter to the CPSC expressing their concerns “regarding the risks posed to consumers from indoor air pollution generated by gas stoves.” They pointed out that more than 40 million homes in the U.S. rely on gas stoves for cooking, and “methane leaks from gas stoves inside U.S. homes were recently found to contribute the equivalent climate impacts as about 500,000 gasoline-powered cars.” They added that the cumulative effect of such emissions has a disproportionate impact on Black, Latino, and low-income households.
They also recommended a number of steps for the CPSC to take, including “mandatory performance standards for gas stoves” that address health risks and leakages and have warning labels on gas stoves to educate consumers, and to launch a public education campaign. They did not call for an outright ban, however.
According to RMI, a non-profit group focused on clean energy, as of August 2022, around 94 cities and counties in the U.S., “adopted policies that require or encourage the move off fossil fuels to all-electric homes and buildings.” In 2021, a New York City law went into place that bans the combustion of fossil fuels in new buildings, and accelerated the construction of all-electric buildings in the city.
The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) and American Gas Association oppose such measures.
“Ventilation is really where this discussion should be, rather than banning one particular type of technology,” said Jill Notini, a vice president at AHAM. “Banning one type of a cooking appliance is not going to address the concerns about overall indoor air quality. We may need some behavior change, we may need [people] to turn on their hoods when cooking.”
Karen Harbert, president of the AGA, said, “The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and EPA do not present gas ranges as a significant contributor to adverse air quality or health hazard in their technical or public information literature, guidance, or requirements. The most practical, realistic way to achieve a sustainable future where energy is clean, as well as safe, reliable and affordable, is to ensure it includes natural gas and the infrastructure that transports it.”
Trumka also told Bloomberg that the CPSC would open up public comment on the hazards of gas stoves later in the winter of 2023. Another option besides imposing a ban on the import and manufacturing of gas stoves was to set standards on emissions from the stoves.
But there will be some time before any of this is implemented. In a statement to CNN, CPSC said it had not proposed any regulatory action on gas stoves at this time, and that any regulations would “involve a lengthy process.”
“Agency staff plans to start gathering data and perspectives from the public on potential hazards associated with gas stoves, and proposed solutions to those hazards later this year. Commission staff also continue to work with voluntary standards organizations to examine gas stove emissions and address potential hazards,” the statement said.
While the CPSC commissioner has said that an unsafe product like gas stoves could be banned, the agency is a long way from carrying such a proposal forward, as the group plans to do more research and assess a range of solutions. As such, we rate this claim a “Mixture.”
Sources:
“Biden Administration Considers Banning Gas Stoves over Health Concerns.” National Review, 9 Jan. 2023, https://www.nationalreview.com/news/biden-administration-considers-banning-gas-stoves-over-health-concerns/. Accessed 10 Jan. 2023.
Booker, Beyer Lead Colleagues in Urging CPSC to Address Dangerous Indoor Air Pollutions Emitted by Gas Stoves. 21 Dec. 2022, https://www.booker.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/booker_beyer_lead_colleagues_in_urging_cpsc_to_address_dangerous_indoor_air_pollutions_emitted_by_gas_stoves.pdf. Accessed 10 Jan. 2023.
“Capital Matters Warned You about Gas-Stove Hysteria.” National Review, 9 Jan. 2023, https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/capital-matters-warned-you-about-gas-stove-hysteria/. Accessed 10 Jan. 2023.
Gruenwald, Talor, et al. “Population Attributable Fraction of Gas Stoves and Childhood Asthma in the United States.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 20, no. 1, Jan. 2023, p. 75. www.mdpi.com, https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20010075. Accessed 10 Jan. 2023.
Maruf, Ramishah. “A US Federal Agency Is Considering a Ban on Gas Stoves | CNN Business.” CNN, 9 Jan. 2023, https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/09/business/gas-stove-ban-federal-agency/index.html. Accessed 10 Jan. 2023.
“Mayor de Blasio Signs Landmark Bill to Ban Combustion of Fossil Fuels in New Buildings.” The Official Website of the City of New York, 22 Dec. 2021, https://www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/852-21/mayor-de-blasio-signs-landmark-bill-ban-combustion-fossil-fuels-new-buildings. Accessed 10 Jan. 2023.
Mills, Ryan. “How Local Governments and Communities Are Taking Action to Get Fossil Fuels out of Buildings.” RMI, 9 Aug. 2022, https://rmi.org/taking-action-to-get-fossil-fuels-out-of-buildings/. Accessed 10 Jan. 2023.
Natter, Ari. “US Safety Agency to Consider Ban on Gas Stoves Amid Health Fears.” Bloomberg, 9 Jan. 2023, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-01-09/us-safety-agency-to-consider-ban-on-gas-stoves-amid-health-fears. Accessed 10 Jan. 2023.