As Democrats across the country increasingly call for the banning of gas stoves, some states and cities are even going so far as to consider bans on any new houses featuring any gas appliances.
The Daily Caller reports that one such bill was introduced in the Minnesota state legislature on Wednesday, which would give the state’s Commissioner of Labor and Industry the authority to make changes to the state’s energy code that would lead to the banning of all natural gas in future homes. California and New York are considering similar legislation that would severely increase the costs of possessing and operating gas-powered appliances.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration reports that at least half of all American homes utilize natural gas for such purposes as air and water heating, which makes up at least 15 percent of all natural gas use in the United States. Air heating that utilizes gas is cheaper than electric systems due to being more energy efficient, thus leading to them being the more popular option, especially for low-income households.
Such bans began gaining more widespread attention, and broader left-wing support, after the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced that it was considering banning gas stoves nationwide, allegedly due to the effects of such appliances on the environment. The study that CPSC cited as a source justifying such a ban was partially funded by two far-left activist groups that are pushing for a transition to electric.
“Natural gas is our cleanest fossil [fuel] and it is responsible for the U.S. reducing carbon dioxide emissions more than other country, largely because we have centuries of the stuff.” said Dan Kish a senior fellow at the Institute for Energy Research. “God blessed North America with enormous energy wealth, and our only impediment is power-hungry politicians who want to make energy more expensive and more foreign, while bossing Americans around by telling them how to heat their homes and what kind of car they can drive.”
“Natural gas has been one of the principal drivers to achieving our nation’s environmental and economic goals. From providing affordable energy to consumers to driving down emissions, the benefits this fuel has for our nation are tangible and impossible to ignore,” said Karen Harbert, president and CEO of the American Gas Association. “Any push to ban natural gas would raise costs to consumers, jeopardize environmental progress and deny affordable energy to underserved populations.”
Despite the rising tide from Democrat-run states and cities, the Biden Administration has denied any reports that it is considering such a nationwide ban. Nevertheless, CSPC Commissioner Richard Trumka Jr. has said that when it comes to gas stoves and other gas appliances, “any option is on the table,” and that the CSPC still has the authority to determine that “products that can’t be made safe can be banned.”