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New York state may see a ban on gas stoves in new buildings and homes by the end of the decade, as officials seek to combat climate change.
Governor Kathy Hochul suggested the move during her state-of-the-state address on Tuesday, while outlining her plan toward ‘Achieving the New York Dream.’
The potential ban has been a contentious conversation in the US since federal officials called the household appliance a ‘hidden hazard,‘ with new research linking gas stoves to childhood asthma.
‘Buildings are the largest source of emissions in our state, accounting for a third of our greenhouse gas output,’ Hochul said.
If passed, New Yorkers may see only electric stovetops in new developments by 2030.
Current buildings would not be impacted so residents would not be forced to swap out their stovetops.
Governor Kathy Hochul plans to halt the use of gas stoves in new developments. Hochul, 64, claimed the stoves contribute to a third of greenhouse gas output
Chefs in the Big Apple worry that the ban on gas stoves in new developments, including restaurants, will hinder the quality of food.
Food guru Stratis Morfogen, the managing director of Brooklyn Chop House, said the ban is a bad Yelp review waiting to happen.
‘Electric can work for fast casual. However, with fine dining, it’s impossible to function with an electric kitchen,’ Morfogen told The New York Post. ‘Imagine a guest ordering a two to three pound whole fish. It usually takes 40 to 50 minutes to cook. Now it will take two hours.’
He claimed the electric stoves ‘will tank it and bring growth to a halt and destroy our industry.’
Entrepreneur James Mallios with Civetta Hospitality added that he has cooked with an electric stove before, and the quality of food is noticeably different.
‘I have never looked at electric because it has never been able to do the same job,’ Mallios told the news outlet.
The governor also plans to take her green agenda a step further by barring water heaters and oil furnaces in new developments.
If Hochul’s agenda progresses, New Yorkers may see a ban on fossil fuels by 2025 for new smaller buildings and in 2028 for new larger buildings.
New Yorkers and chefs moving into new developments might see electric stoves only by 2030
Nearly 13 per cent of asthma cases in children on average can be blamed on the toxins produced by gas ranges
Meanwhile, as the contentious debate over gas stoves heats up, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre insisted on Wednesday that President Joe Biden was not coming after Americans’ gas stoves.
‘The president does not support banning gas stoves and the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which is independent, is not banning gas stoves,’ Jean-Pierre said.
Jean-Pierre’s comment was in response to Biden-appointed Consumer Product Safety Commissioner Richard Trumka Jr. who called the stoves a ‘hazard’ to children following the release of a study conducted by the commission.
The new study on children’s health found that roughly one in eight cases of childhood asthma in the US are the result of air pollution given off by gas stoves.
This puts emissions from gas cooking at the same asthma risk level as breathing in secondhand smoke.
Asthma affects roughly six million US children each year and nearly 13 percent of them get it from breathing in the myriad toxins that a gas stove belches out every day.
About 100 cities and counties have adopted policies that require or encourage a move away from fossil fuel powered buildings. In California, the sale of natural gas-fired furnaces and water heaters will be banned by 2030.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre insisted Wednesday that President Joe Biden was not coming after Americans’ gas stoves
US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) official Richard Trumka Jr. called gas stoves a ‘hidden hazard’ and said a potential ban was under consideration
Natural gas distributors and appliance makers argued that a ban on natural gas stoves would drive up costs for homeowners and restaurants with little environmental gain.
The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, a trade group representing appliance makers, noted that gas stoves are usually cheaper to operate than electric, arguing ‘increased use of ventilation’ is a better solution than a ban.
‘A ban on gas cooking appliances would remove an affordable and preferred technology used in more than 40 percent of homes across the country,’ AHAM spokeswoman Jill Notini told DailyMail.com in a statement on Tuesday.
‘A ban would fail to address the overall concern of indoor air quality while cooking, because all forms of cooking, regardless of heat source, generate air pollutants, especially at high temperatures,’ she said.
Notini added that ‘a focus on increased use of ventilation is an effective solution to improve indoor air quality while cooking.’
The American Gas Association added that regulatory agencies have presented no documented evidence linking breathing problems to gas stoves.
‘The US Consumer Product Safety Commission and EPA do not present gas ranges as a significant contributor to adverse air quality or hath hazard in their technical or public information literature, guidance or requirements,’ Karen Harbert, the group’s president, told Bloomberg.
‘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.’
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