For Now, We’re Cooking With Gas

By: Chris Johnson

In the past several decades, the federal government has clamped down on some pretty petty household goods. In 1994, Congress banned certain toilets which used more water than they would have liked. In 2007, George W. Bush put forth a regulation requiring the phasing out of incandescent lightbulbs, which Obama would have turned into an all-out ban taking effect in 2020 had Trump’s administration not intervened. This ban also would have regulated pear shaped bulbs, in case that’s something you were worried about.

You have to wonder with issues like these if lawmakers don’t wonder to themselves, “if they’ll let us regulate their toilets and lightbulbs, what can’t we regulate?”

It’s at the other end of the spectrum of Covid regulations, which led many to wonder, “if we can’t make our own decisions on something as important as our own healthcare, what meaningful decisions are left up to us?”

Well, the government seems to have convinced itself now that no issue is too big or too small for us to be told what’s best for us, especially when the issue can be said to affect the climate.

So, now Biden’s Consumer Product Safety Commission is considering a ban on gas ovens.

Citing a report in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, the commission says gas stoves can cause or worsen childhood asthma. But, rather than inform the public and allow people to make a decision for themselves, the commission is instead considering an all-out ban.

“Any option is on the table. Products that can’t be made safe can be banned,” agency commissioner Richard Trumka Jr. told Bloomberg.

What makes the possible ban so fascinating is the lack of conversation or awareness raising leading up to it. Nobody knew the commission was even looking at gas stoves, there hasn’t been any kind of public outcry or hardly even a conversation, yet suddenly a ban is being discussed.

There are several articles from liberal sources in the past few years discussing gas stoves, mentioning the risks for kids when the stoves are in tight or unventilated areas, and then discussing the effect that gas stoves have on the climate.

Consider this one from NPR: “We need to talk about your gas stove, your health and climate change.”

“…The focus on possible health risks from stoves is part of the broader campaign by environmentalists to kick gas out of buildings to fight climate change. Commercial and residential buildings account for about 13% of heat-trapping emissions, mainly from the use of gas appliances,” the article says.

It goes on to highlight one of the Biden campaign’s main focuses in relation to fossil fuels, as you may remember: “President Biden’s climate plan includes a goal to cut the carbon footprint of buildings in half by 2035 through incentives to retrofit homes and businesses with electric appliances and furnaces.

A New York Times blog post by Liam McCabe was titled “Why you don’t need to ditch your gas stove (yet).” It recommended against replacing gas stoves for health purposes, unless it was time for a new one anyway. BUT a post under the title informs the reader that they had changed their opinion as of September 2022, saying “We’ve changed our advice and no longer recommend hanging on to your gas stove for as long as it works.

“There are several reasons why: We continue to monitor evidence of the potential health risks associated with gas stoves. And as part of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, the first-ever consumer rebates on electric appliances—including stoves—are designed to incentivize more people to switch from gas-powered appliances to electric ones.”

The article itself reads, “To control climate change, society will need to quit burning natural gas and other fossil fuels over the next few decades. Switching from gas-powered to electric appliances should be a straightforward part of this transition…”

“Think of the children!”  they say, meanwhile the familiar environmentalist agenda is what’s really driving the policy.

Even given the air quality issues these articles so tenuously refer to, many Americans might have good reason for choosing gas over electric. It has long been the choice of cooking enthusiasts, as it allows for instant control of the heat source. It is also cheaper to cook with natural gas than electricity, and for large or well-ventilated kitchens or even homes without children, gas’ supposed effect on air quality over electric’s may not concern the buyer.

Regardless, the government’s co-opting of this decision leads us to wonder, if consumers can’t be trusted to balance the risks and incentives of something as blasé as what cooking fuel to use, what will be the fed’s next target for control?

The field of possibilities is as wide as the subject of what can be said to affect the climate: pretty much endless.

 

To view this article in your browser, Click Here

For more information, articles and newsletters, please check out our website at https://americandecency.org/

You can support ADA financially by visiting: https://give.cornerstone.cc/americandecency

 

---