On Tuesday, New York Governor Kathy Hochul gave her State of the State address which included detailing "The New York Housing Compact," which she described as a "strategy to address New York's housing crisis," and part of the compact involves a ban on gas stoves, oil furnaces, and hot water heaters in commercial construction and new homes. Gas stoves are used in roughly 40 percent of American households.
In her remarks, Hochul said, the compact would mandate "all new construction to be zero-emission, starting in 2025 for small buildings and 2028 for large buildings," and she said that her plan to use more electric appliances would help "residents struggling with high electric bills."
The New York Post reports that on Wednesday, the governor's office said this mandate would provide no exceptions and apply to all commercial, residential, and mixed-use buildings.
Hochul's spokeswoman Hazel Crampton-Hays said, "Governor Hochul has been clear that we have to take bold steps on climate to protect the health and safety of our children, and 30 percent of state greenhouse gas emissions come from buildings."
A report from Bloomberg earlier in the week claimed that the Biden administration was looking into banning gas stoves to "reduce climate-warming emissions (such as from methane) that exacerbate climate change." US Consumer Product Safety Commission Commissioner Richard Trumka Jr said, "This is a hidden hazard" and "Any option is on the table. Products that can’t be made safe can be banned."
According to Bloomberg, "peer-reviewed research published last month" connected 12 percent of asthma cases in American children to emissions from gas stoves, and the US Consumer Product Safety Commission was considering regulating gas stoves as a response.
The Environmental Protection Agency and the World Health Organization have claimed that gas stoves emit gasses such as carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide at levels that are "unsafe and linked to respiratory illness, cardiovascular problems, cancer, and other health conditions."
On Wednesday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, "The president does not support banning gas stoves."
In December of 2021, then-NYC Mayor Bill DeBlasio signed a law mandating that newly constructed buildings in NYC ban gas stoves and all-new buildings run only on electricity by 2027.
Republican NY Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay said Hochul was "pushing a delusional environmental agenda that will come with harsh realities for the people of New York."
Stratis Morfogen, a restauranter, director of operations for the Brooklyn Chop House, and founder of the Brooklyn Dumpling Shop eateries, said "This is just a total farce to appease the woke movement."
"Electric can work for fast casual. However, with fine dining, it’s impossible to function with an electric kitchen," Morfogen added.
