Democratic Officials Make Big Move for Nationwide Gas Stove Crackdown

By Johnathan Jones May 9, 2023 at 2:42pm

Almost a dozen attorneys general from across the country asked a government agency to crack down on gas stoves in a joint letter they sent out on Monday.

In the letter, attorneys general from nine majority Democratic states, New York City and the District of Columbia asked the Consumer Product Safety Commission to burden gas stove manufacturers and users with new restrictions.

In a 21-page letter, the attorneys general declared the stoves to be polluters as well as public health hazards.

CPSC Secretary Alberta E. Mills was asked to “collect information on the health hazards associated” with the stoves and then to “determine the best path forward to mitigate those harms and protect consumers.”

The attorneys general also claimed such stoves “disproportionate impact” those who live in “underserved communities.”

“Once the CPSC has completed this information-gathering process, the States urge the CPSC to develop voluntary standards or mandatory regulations that will reduce the emissions of harmful pollutants from gas stoves that degrade indoor air quality in U.S. households,” the letter said.

It continued, “In addition, the States urge the CPSC to increase consumer awareness of the harms posed by gas stoves through more informative warning labels and public education.”

The letter called on higher regulations for gas stoves, which the attorneys said emit gases that are “unsafe for human health.”

The letter even went as far as to claim children are in danger of being imperiled by gas stoves in a way they are not by electric cooking appliances.

Are gas stoves being unfairly villified?

The letter also declared gas stoves are unsafe for the environment.

“Further, pollution from gas stoves often has a disproportionate effect on households located in underserved communities, especially low-income households,” the letter said.

It also claimed the appliances, which have been in wide use for decades, risk harming minority Americans.

“Black and Latino families are more likely to live in areas with high levels of outdoor air pollution, which can lead to cumulative health effects from the combined exposures to both indoor and outdoor pollutants,” the letter claimed.

The letter surrendered that ridding kitchens of the stoves faced significant challenges, but it did ask the CPSC to compel stove manufacturers to issue warnings they are allegedly unsafe.

“Given the demonstrated health risks described above and elsewhere, the CPSC could reasonably find that gas stoves pose a risk to human health,” the letter concluded.

It was signed by the attorneys general of Washington, D.C.; Delaware; Maryland; Massachusetts; Minnesota; New York; Rhode Island; Oregon; Vermont; Washington; and New York City.

The letter comes as Democrats nationwide have pushed for banning the stoves while the establishment media has simultaneously claimed no effort to force Americans to switch to electric is underway.

Submit a Correction →