Hot Air Over Gas Stoves
The Biden administration is not planning to ban gas stoves. But comments from a commissioner on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission about gas stoves being a “hidden hazard” and that “products that can’t be made safe can be banned” provided just enough fuel for some politicians to stoke fear and outrage.
“Our stoves are at risk!” reads a Jan. 11 fundraising appeal from Rep. Ronny Jackson, a Republican from Texas. “Biden and Democrats want to BAN gas stoves in EVERY home! INCLUDING YOURS!”
Never mind that two days earlier, the agency commissioner who made the statement that set off the firestorm, Richard Trumka Jr., issued a tweet clarifying, “To be clear, CPSC isn’t coming for anyone’s gas stoves. Regulations apply to new products.”
On Jan. 11, the agency’s chair, Alexander Hoehn-Saric, issued saying the CPSC “is actively engaged in strengthening safety standards for gas stoves.” (emphasis
