Federal regulators have said they’re not coming for Americans’ cooking appliances, but consumers’ disbelief and suspicions apparently are already baked in.
The majority of Americans think the federal government will ultimately ban the sale of new natural gas stoves despite regulators trying to tamp down such a notion, according to a poll first shared with The Washington Times.
More than 3-in-4 respondents, 77%, predicted in a survey by Texas electricity provider Payless Power that the independent Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) will institute a ban on the methane-emitting appliances at some future date.
One of the agency’s members incited an uproar among consumers and Republican lawmakers last week when he suggested that a ban on new gas stoves was under consideration because of some studies showing the emissions cause health conditions like cancer and respiratory issues, particularly asthma in children.
Roughly 40% of Americans use gas stoves.
But the commission’s chair quickly said no such policy was on the table.
“Research indicates that emissions from gas stoves can be hazardous, and the CPSC is looking for ways to reduce related indoor air quality hazards,” CPSC Chairman Alexander Hoehn-Saric said last week. “But to be clear, I am not looking to ban gas stoves, and the CPSC has no proceeding to do so.”
There have been other warning signs though.
In between the initial words from Commissioner Richard Trumka and Mr. Hoehn-Saric’s clarification, some Democrats and green activists argued a ban is justified based on adverse effects to health and the climate.
Additionally, cities are increasingly looking to ban natural gas connections in new buildings, making gas stoves useless, though their stated reason is to curb fossil-fuel emissions.
In the poll shown early to The Washington Times on Thursday, 68% said that new gas stoves should be banned while 83% who currently have one in their household said they’re considering an alternative like electric or induction.
A Morning Consult poll from 2021 showed that 44% of respondents supported a natural gas ban in new buildings and 2-in-3 would choose an electric range but that holdouts said gas cooked better.
The Payless Power survey was conducted among 802 respondents on Jan. 17 and has an error margin of 3.0 percentage points.
• Ramsey Touchberry can be reached at rtouchberry@washingtontimes.com.
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