Chuck Schumer’s Gas Stove Gaslighting

In February, Schumer Smugly Mocked Republicans Alarmed At Proposals Advanced By Progressives To Ban Gas Appliances

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY), February 3: “Nobody is taking away your gas stove. Shameless and desperate MAGA Republicans are showing us they will cook up any distraction to divert from real issues the American people want solved …” (Sen. Schumer, @SenSchumer, Twitter, 2/03/2023)

But This Week, New York’s Democrat-Dominated Legislature Passed The ‘First Statewide Ban’ In The Country On Natural Gas Use In New Buildings, Which Would Prohibit Use Of Gas Stoves

May 3: “New York has become the first state in the nation to pass a law banning natural gas and other fossil fuels in most new buildings, a move that could help reshape how Americans heat and cook in their homes in the coming decades. Late Tuesday, the New York legislature approved a $229 billion state budget that will prohibit natural gas hookups and other fossil fuels in most new homes and other construction, a major victory for climate activists.” (“N.Y. Ditches Gas Stoves, Fossil Fuels In New Buildings In First Statewide Ban In U.S.,” The Washington Post, 5/03/2023)

Schumer Wasn’t Even Right At The Time Of His Pronouncement, Since There Is ‘A Nationwide Movement’ As ‘Major Cities … Have Either Enacted Or Proposed Measures To Ban Or Discourage’ ‘Natural Gas For Home Cooking And Heating’

“The New York ban would be a significant expansion of a nationwide movement … Previous bans have been enacted at the city level in other left-leaning states, including California, Massachusetts and Washington.” (“New York to Ban Natural Gas, Including Stoves, in New Buildings,” The New York Times, 4/28/2023)

• “A similar ban passed by New York City in 2021 will begin to take effect in December, when gas hookups will be banned in all new buildings shorter than seven stories, effectively requiring all-electric heating and cooking.” (“New York to Ban Natural Gas, Including Stoves, in New Buildings,” The New York Times, 4/28/2023)

“A growing fight is unfolding across the U.S. as cities consider phasing out natural gas for home cooking and heating, citing concerns about climate change … Major cities including San Francisco, Seattle, Denver and New York have either enacted or proposed measures to ban or discourage the use of the fossil fuel in new homes and buildings, two years after Berkeley, Calif., passed the first such prohibition in the U.S. in 2019.” (“Battle Brews Over Banning Natural Gas to Homes,” The Wall Street Journal, 5/31/2021)

And The Biden Administration Is Supporting These Efforts And Even Proposing To Expand Them

“A federal agency says a ban on gas stoves is on the table … The US Consumer Product Safety Commission plans to take action … ‘This is a hidden hazard,’ Richard Trumka Jr., an agency commissioner, said in an interview. ‘Any option is on the table. Products that can’t be made safe can be banned.’” (“US Safety Agency to Consider Ban on Gas Stoves Amid Health Fears,” Bloomberg News, 1/09/2023)

• “[T]he CPSC is in the very early stages of weighing regulations on new gas stoves.” (The Washington Post, 1/26/2023)

“The Energy Department put the gas stove debate on the front burner again Wednesday by proposing new efficiency standards for consumer cooking appliances…. The proposed standards, which focus on energy consumption, would require that both gas and electric stoves meet certain efficiency thresholds. The proposal also suggests new standards for gas and electric ovens.” (“Gas Stove Debate Reignites As Energy Department Proposes New Standards,” NBC News, 2/01/2023)

• “Half of gas stove models sold in the United States today won’t comply with a first-ever efficiency regulation on cooking appliances, according to a new analysis from the Department of Energy…. That means roughly half the gas stove models purchased across the U.S. today will no longer be eligible for purchase in stores…. DOE is moving forward with the rule along with other efficiency standards, including for distribution transformers, washing machines and refrigerators.” (“DOE Rule May Block 50% Of Current Gas Stove Models,” E&E News, 2/24/2023)

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL EDITORIAL BOARD: “The Biden Administration is also aiding and abetting the anti-gas stove cause. Last year it filed an amicus brief with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals supporting a gas ban by Berkeley, Calif. The departments of Justice and Energy argued that cities and states should be able to exercise police powers to prohibit the use of ‘dangerous or unsafe items.’ Why would the federal government weigh in on a local regulatory case, if not for ideological climate solidarity?” (Editorial, “The Coming Gas Stove Culture War,” The Wall Street Journal, 1/13/2023)

‘They Really Are Coming For Your Stove’

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL EDITORIAL BOARD: “There really is a culture war coming over gas stoves, and everything else involving fossil fuels, because climate has become for the left a matter of core cultural identity. Progressives want to impose their values on the lifestyle of everyone else, including in the kitchen. If subsidies don’t work, coercion follows. When they can’t win the political debate, they resort to brute government force. They really are coming for your stove.” (Editorial, “The Coming Gas Stove Culture War,” The Wall Street Journal, 1/13/2023)