Wait, What’s Going On With the Gas Stove Ban?
Blue teardrop-shaped flames heating the underside of a skillet is one of the kitchen’s most hypnotizing sights. So, when Richard L. Trumka Jr. of the US Consumer Product Safety Commission revealed in a Bloomberg article published earlier this week that soaring concerns over the pollutants emitted by these ranges could lead to a possible gas stove ban, the public was instantly whipped into a frenzy over the potential loss of their comforting cooking rituals. But could such a mandate be implemented?
The short answer is no. Trumka later tweeted that regulations would only apply to new products, sweetened by the promise that homeowners who willingly switched over to electric were eligible for $840 rebates via the Inflation Reduction Act. A few days after the alarming article appeared, amid a barrage of commentary from irate politicians and natural gas industry bigwigs, Bloomberg followed up with another feature that brought a bit of relief to wound-up consumers across the country. This time around, Alexander Hoehn-Soric, chair of the Commission, confirmed that rather than pursuing a gas stove ban, the plan is to ramp up research efforts and determine ways of minimizing the hazardous effects indoors, like mounting range hoods.
