What began as a federal proposal to reduce the health effects of gas stoves has caught fire—with the state of New York taking the lead and instituting the ban.
Key Details
- New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed a provision in the state budget on Tuesday night that will stop the new installation of gas stoves in new buildings.
- Between 2026 and 2029, new buildings will need to phase out installing gas-powered stoves, propane heating, and furnaces in favor of heat pumps and induction stoves.
- CNN calls the new rule “a major win for climate advocates,” arguing that gas stoves could contribute a significant portion of the state’s emissions.
- Critics say it is an alarmist reaction to a biased study.
- The bill marks the first state-wide ban, following similar city bans in New York City, Berkeley, and San Francisco.
Why It’s News
Gas stoves have been a political hot potato since January when Consumer Product Safety Commissioner Richard Trumka Jr. suggested that gas stoves could be banned by the federal government—to address air pollutants released by stoves in 40% of U.S. households—or that stoves could be more heavily regulated to control the chemical output.
The comments drew heavy scrutiny from Republican politicians and widespread social-media outrage. Commission Chair Alex Hoehn-Saric subsequently argued that the federal government has no plans to ban stoves but would continue studying the matter for health and climate-related concerns.
The study that the decision is based on, critics argue, is biased, alarmist, and unsubstantiated, claiming that the group that published it is biased toward environmental causes—sparking a moral panic against a common household item. “It’s based on looking at previous studies from North America and Europe, making extrapolations about the number of children living in homes with gas stoves from data in the American Housing Survey, and then coming up with a mathematical formula to get the result that the authors wanted,” reports National Review Online.
If someone is concerned about the health effects of a gas stove, that person can choose not to have one in their home, critics also say.
While the proposed bans do not necessarily require older stoves to be replaced, it would severely restrict or remove installations in new housing developments going forward, with more than 50% of the models on the market not meeting the proposed standards. The Consumer Commission affirmed its power to make these proposals, noting it can “ban consumer products that emit hazardous substances, particularly when those emissions harm children, under the Federal Hazardous Substances Act.”
Notable Quote
“[We] will protect our families and our residents while putting New York on trajectory to a cleaner, healthier future,” noted a spokesman for Hochul.
