Is Joe Biden Banning Gas Stoves? What We Know, What We Don't

Is Joe Biden coming for your gas stoves? It seems not, at least not yet—but the mixed messages coming out of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and a Biden-appointed commissioner have left people wondering.

Richard Trumka Jr., who was nominated by the president in 2021, was interviewed by Bloomberg on Monday, in a piece which said that "a ban on gas stoves is on the table amid rising concern about harmful indoor air pollutants".

"This is a hidden hazard," Trumka told the outlet. "Any option is on the table. Products that can't be made safe can be banned."

That would seem to most a pretty clear-cut appraisal of Trumka's intentions. Were his remarks taken out of context, or did he misspeak?

"Research indicates that emissions from gas stoves can be hazardous, and the CPSC is looking for ways to reduce related indoor air quality hazards," Alexander Hoehn-Saric, chair of the CPSC, said in a statement on Wednesday when Newsweek approached the regulator for comment. "But to be clear, I am not looking to ban gas stoves and the CPSC has no proceeding to do so."

Trumka apparently took no issue with the wording of the piece. Congratulating the reporter for "excellent journalism", he wrote on Twitter on January 9: "My guiding duty is protecting consumer health and safety. Gas stoves can emit dangerous level of toxic chemicals—even when not in use—and CPSC will consider all approaches to regulation."

The claim that Americans may soon be forced by federal diktat to swap out their pilot-lit stoves for electric alternatives inevitably provoked criticism.

"This is a recipe for disaster," Senator Joe Manchin, the West Virginia Democrat who chairs the Senate Energy Committee, tweeted in response to the Bloomberg article. "The federal government has no business telling American families how to cook their dinner. I can tell you the last thing that would ever leave my house is the gas stove that we cook on."

"I'll NEVER give up my gas stove," Representative Ronny Jackson, a Texas Republican, wrote. "If the maniacs in the White House come for my stove, they can pry it from my cold dead hands." Andrew Gruel, a chef and judge on the Food Network, even posted a video of himself taped to a gas stove, pledging to remain fixed to it "until the idea is completely eliminated from everybody's minds."

"Over 40 million American households use gas stoves," Representative Gary Palmer, a Republican from Alabama, responded to Trumka's Twitter statement. "This type of power should never have been given to unelected bureaucrats and it is time for it to end."

"To be clear, CPSC isn't coming for anyone's gas stoves," Trumka replied. "Regulations apply to new products. For Americans who CHOOSE to switch from gas to electric, there is support available—Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act which includes a $840 rebate."

A recent study, published in December in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, found 12.7 percent of current childhood asthma in the U.S. "is attributed to gas stove use, which is similar to the childhood asthma burden attributed to second-hand smoke exposure."

Another, by the American Chemical Society, found methane emissions from gas stoves in U.S. homes, even when unused, have an impact on the climate "comparable to the annual carbon dioxide emissions of 500,000 cars" and homes with poor ventilation can surpass national standards for nitrogen dioxide "within a few minutes of stove usage."

Steve Milloy, a climate change sceptic and member of Donald Trump's transition team, attacked the suggestion of a gas stove ban by claiming to have "debunked" the study linking their use to childhood asthma, writing that asthma was an "allergic disease", but that "gas stoves emit no allergens".

While asthma may be triggered by allergens such as dust mites, animal fur or pollen, an attack can also be caused by smoke, air pollution and inhaling chemicals, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

On January 10, the CPSC clarified in a statement that it "has not proposed any regulatory action on gas stoves at this time."

"Any regulatory action by the Commission would involve a lengthy process," it said. "Agency staff plans [sic] to start gathering data and perspectives from the public on potential hazards associated with gas stoves, and proposed solutions to those hazards later this year."

So while a ban on new gas stoves is, by Trumka's account, "on the table", it may be a while before any regulatory changes are proposed—and these may just require gas stoves to be more efficient and less leaky.

"CPSC is researching gas emissions in stoves and exploring new ways to address any health risks," Hoehn-Saric said. "This spring, we will be asking the public to provide us with information about gas stove emissions and potential solutions for reducing any associated risks. This is part of our product safety mission—learning about hazards and working to make products safer."