Leaders.com
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Business
  • Leadership
  • Wealth
  • Master Classes
  • Business
    • Entrepreneurs
    • Executives
    • Marketing and Sales
    • Social Media
    • Innovation
    • Women in Business
  • Leadership
    • Personal Growth
    • Company Culture
    • Public Speaking
    • Productivity
    • Hiring
    • Social Issues
    • Leaders
  • Wealth
    • Investing
    • Cryptocurrency
    • Retirement
    • Venture Capital
    • Loans and Borrowing
    • Taxes
    • Markets
    • Real Estate
  • Master Classes
  • Login
  • Subscribe
Social Issues Gas Stove

Safety Commissioner suggests federal government may ban gas stoves (Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

By Tyler Hummel Leaders Staff

Tyler Hummel

Tyler Hummel

Tyler Hummel is a news writer for Leaders Media. He was the Fall 2021 College Fix Fellow and Health Care...

Full bio


Learn about our editorial policy

Jan 11, 2023

The Politicization Of Gas Stoves

A federal safety commissioner’s comments about potentially banning gas stoves turned into a media frenzy about climate change and individual liberty. 

Key Details

  • In a Monday interview, 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.  
  • “This is a hidden hazard. Any option is on the table. Products that can’t be made safe can be banned,” says Trumka. 
  • Several studies have been released in recent years suggesting that gas stoves emit nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and other particulates that contribute to 12% of childhood asthma cases, in addition to cardiovascular issues, cancer, and respiratory illness, Bloomberg reports. 
  • The proposal was met with widespread social media outrage, with many partisan conservatives condemning the proposal and partisan progressives applauding the potential ban and criticizing the backlash. 
  • Commission Chair Alex Hoehn-Saric released a statement on Wednesday affirming that the federal government is not planning to ban gas stoves but is continuing research into the associated hazards.

Why It’s News 

As with many things in the green revolution, nothing is off the table in terms of discussion as to whether it ought to be reduced or eliminated for the cause of improving public health or reducing climate change. Several cities and states have already made inquiries into banning new hookups for gas stoves on similar grounds, although Monday’s backlash reflects the news hitting mainstream attention. 

“Parallel efforts by state and local policymakers are targeting the use of natural gas in buildings more broadly, in a push to reduce climate-warming emissions, such as methane, that exacerbate climate change,” says Bloomberg. 

Partisan Reactions 

National Review Online downplayed the study as biased, alarmist, and unsubstantiated, claiming that the group that published it is biased towards 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.”

The Washington Post alternatively affirmed scientific claims about the health and climate change risks associated with gas stoves, claiming that the natural gas industry has propagandized the public to slow electric stoves. “Beginning in the 1930s, the gas industry released commercials, advertisements, and slogans connecting ‘cooking with gas’ with culinary bliss. In recent years, gas companies have hired PR firms to oppose local bans on gas appliances in new buildings—with representatives sometimes infiltrating neighborhood social media groups.”

Notable Quotes 

Representative Ronny Jackson (R-TX) tweeted, “I’ll NEVER give up my gas stove. If the maniacs in the White House come for my stove, they can pry it from my cold dead hands. COME AND TAKE IT!!”

Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) condemned the proposal, saying, “This is a recipe for disaster. The federal government has no business telling American families how to cook their dinner. I can tell you the last thing that would ever leave my house is the gas stove that we cook on.”

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) claims stove ovens have been connected to “reduced cognitive performance,” citing an article from Vox Media.  

Media Matters researcher Jason Campbell dismissed the backlash, saying, “not a single conservative pundit has ever thought about their gas stove before today.”  

Home / News / The Politicization Of Gas Stoves
Share
FacebookTweetEmailLinkedIn

Related Stories

DOE Bets On Risky Energy

by Savannah Young Leaders Staff
Environment

Mar 25, 2023

ARPA-E Fast Pitch - Dr. Jenifer Shafer, Dr. Robert Ledoux, and Dr. Ahmed Diallo

The Department of Energy (DOE) is hosting its annual ARPA-E, or Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy, conference with many innovations focusing on carbon reduction.

Key Details

  • ARPA-E funds risky energy projects that have difficulty receiving private sector investment.
  • The agency has given out some $3.3 billion to more than 1,400 projects since 2009, according to Bloomberg writer Ari Natter.
  • ARPA-E projects have led to some $11 billion in private sector funding, the formation of 131 companies, and 934 patents, according to the Energy Department.
  • Recent efforts showcased at the conference focus on decarbonization, including microbes that can absorb elements needed for batteries and carbon-negative cement.

Go deeper

FacebookTweetEmailLinkedIn

The Key To Prospering In Volatile Times

by Savannah Young Leaders Staff
Books

Mar 22, 2023

American economist Paul Zane Pilzer explains how the financial world is shifting and gives personal insight into ways to find new pathways and gain financial success in his new book

In the book The New Roaring Twenties: Prosper In Volatile Times, American economist Paul Zane Pilzer explains how the financial world is shifting and gives personal insight into ways to find new pathways and gain financial success.

Key Details

  • Pilzer says that America is entering the roaring 2020s, and the next 10 years will be filled with cultural and financial changes.
  • He explains that he sees a better world in the future and gives 12 economic and societal pillars that will be crucial to help readers navigate the new financial world and find personal and financial success.
  • Economic pillars…
  • Explosive technology-driven wealth
  • An energy revolution
  • Job market upheaval
  • Accelerated arrival of artificial intelligence (AI) robots
  • The gig economy
  • Universal basic income
  • Societal pillars…
  • Growing influence of millennials
  • Expansion of the sharing revolution
  • Consumer surplus
  • Shift from GDP to gross national happiness
  • A new Pax Americana/China
  • The Russian wild card

Go deeper

FacebookTweetEmailLinkedIn

How Pfizer Leads Through Communication 

by Tyler Hummel Leaders Staff
Books

Mar 21, 2023

Pfizer

The executive vice president of Pfizer has a new book documenting how strong communication leadership helped lead her company through the challenges of the pandemic. 

The Problem 

Go deeper

FacebookTweetEmailLinkedIn
Environment

Mar 22, 2023

The Saints Come Marching In … To Save Water

by Tyler Hummel Leaders Staff
Gas Ban
Public Policy

Mar 20, 2023

Energy Department’s Gas Ban Catches Fire 

by Tyler Hummel Leaders Staff
Social Issues

Mar 17, 2023

Political Pressures On College Campus 

by Tyler Hummel Leaders Staff

Recent Articles

Leadership

Mar 22, 2023

Creating Loyal Employees Is About More Than Just the Paycheck

If you think simply paying your employees more will gain their loyalty, think again.

Business

Mar 20, 2023

Worried About ADHD At Work? Here’s How It Might Actually Help You

Neurodivergent people often have a high level of creativity and innovative thinking.

Productivity

Mar 17, 2023

Unlocking Your Inner Drive: How to Motivate Yourself

Make real progress by trying out these techniques for boosting your self-motivation.

  • Business
  • Leadership
  • Wealth
Join the Leaders Community

Get exclusive tools and resources you need to grow as a leader and scale a purpose-driven business.

Subscribing indicates your consent to our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy

Leaders.com
  • Privacy Policy
  • About
  • Careers
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
  • Disclosures
  • Editorial Policy
  • Member Login

© 2023 Leaders.com - All rights reserved.

Search Leaders.com