Gas stoves ignite the latest war between US Democrats and Republicans

The culture wars that are tearing the U.S. apart have crept into the kitchen. New York State’s decision to ban gas-powered stoves, furnaces and propane heating in most new residential buildings has put the Republicans on a war footing, as they consider that this violates the freedom to choose and goes against the interests of industry. Even the White House, which does not agree with the decision albeit for other reasons, has waded into the debate with a statement by the Office of Management and Budget, the executive arm of the presidency.

In the New York State‘s latest budget, passed in early May, Democrats, who control the state Capitol, adopted two proposals to end reliance on fossil fuels and fight climate change. The first is the ban on the use of such fuels for heating and cooking in new buildings, making New York the first state to introduce such an initiative. The law requires all-electric heating and cooking in new buildings shorter than seven stories by 2026, and for taller buildings by 2029. It will not affect existing homes and exceptions are provided for industrial-use buildings, emergency generators and hospitals, among others. The other measure seeks to promote the construction and operation of renewable energy facilities to reduce emissions by 85% by 2050.

More than 60% of American homes already use electricity for cooking — although New York does not reach that percentage. The Joe Biden administration has proposed expanding the efficiency standards of gas stoves, with an estimated energy saving of $100 million for the population, in addition to the environmental and health benefits. But Republican Representatives Kelly Armstrong (North Dakota) and Debbie Lesko (Arizona) have counterattacked with separate bills, supported by five and 63 legislators respectively.

Just the names of their initiatives are good indicators of the degree of bitterness caused by an apparently banal debate on the use of kitchens in a country where, moreover, the consumption of processed food, which is more affordable than home-cooked food, wins by a landslide. The bill that Armstrong promotes, the H.R. 1615, is called Gas Stove Protection and Freedom Act. The second bill, H.R. 1640, is simply titled Save Our Kitchens. The wording is excessive in the opinion of the Democrats, although not all: those with interests in the gas industry, such as the wayward centrist senator Joe Manchin, welcome any legal or administrative challenge that might help circumvent the ban.

Three weeks ago, the White House Office of Management and Budget came out against the intentions of the Republicans in Congress. While the administration has made it clear that it does not support any attempt to ban gas stoves and boilers, it strongly opposes H.R. 1615 and H.R. 1640, it said in a statement published on June 6. The government said it defends the domestic use of gas to help Americans reduce their energy bills. In a new twist on the traditional tension between Democrats in Washington and Democrats in New York, the White House rejects any attempt to prohibit it.

Pollution in homes

A team of Stanford scientists recently embarked on a tour of New York apartments to track pollution and how it flows from room to room in people’s homes. It was part of a 10-city study in cooperation with local environmental groups, and it has already found how pollutants can quickly reach living rooms and bedrooms. The measurements showed an increase in the concentrations of nitrogen dioxide and benzene, a carcinogenic substance. According to a study published at the end of last year, gas stoves may be related to almost 13% of childhood asthma cases in the U.S. In other words, gas pollution affects both climate change and public health.

Over the course of several decades, under the direction of Congress, appliance efficiency standards have substantially reduced energy bills for lighting, air conditioners, refrigerators and other appliances, the Bureau statement explains. “Consumers in every state have saved hundreds of dollars a year on utility bills as a result of these efficiency standards and by 2030 the cumulative savings on utility bills for consumers is expected to exceed two trillion dollars.” The Democrats in the White House are electorally interested in reducing the price of energy for the consumer, which reached new highs last year due to the war in Ukraine, instead of proposing measures such as the gas ban.

The federal government’s tightening of efficiency standards and New York state’s ban has exasperated Republicans, further polarizing the debate. On the last week of May, they called a House Oversight Committee hearing “to examine the Biden Administration’s regulatory assault on Americans’ gas stoves and boilers.”

The orange flame of combustion has become a new casus belli on the eve of the 2024 presidential primaries. But the scenario goes far beyond the political struggle: at stake are the country’s colossal gas production, the interests of the industry and its important contributions to the campaigns of many members of congress, such as the ex-Democratic senator Kyrsten Sinema, now an independent. Even America’s western leadership in the production of liquefied natural gas, which accounted for 40% of European gas consumption last year, is at stake.

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