![Democratic District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb admitted Thursday he owns a gas stove despite calling for a crackdown on them. [Screenshot CNBC Squawk Box]](https://images.dailycaller.com/image/width=960,height=411,fit=cover,f=auto/https://cdn01.dailycaller.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Screenshot-2023-05-11-at-11.19.27-AM-e1683818426558.png "Democratic District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb admitted Thursday he owns a gas stove despite calling for a crackdown on them. [Screenshot CNBC Squawk Box]")
Democratic District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb admitted Thursday he owns a gas stove, despite calling for a crackdown on them.
New York State recently became the first in the nation to pass a statewide ban on new natural gas hookups just months after the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) opened a request for information and invited the public to comment on the alleged harmful effects of gas stoves, which could be the basis of future national regulations.
Schwalb joined CNBC’s “Squawk Box” to discuss gas stoves days after he led a group of other attorneys general who have called on the CPSC to address the “health hazards associated with gas stoves.”
“This is really an important issue for public health and safety as well as making sure consumers have good, accurate information about potential risks associated with appliances in their home. The data and science tells us that gas stoves do in fact emit pollutants, creating indoor air pollution that can make people sick. Here in the District of Columbia, we have more than 16,000 young people who suffer with asthma. And we know that having a gas-burning stove in the house makes kids 42% more likely to be suffering with asthma symptoms, so this is an important issue of public safety, and making sure consumers have clear information so they can make informed decisions about the appliances in their home.”
“I mean, I’ve dug through the research on this and tried to figure it out. And there is a lot of back and forth debate. Most of the studies on the health effect of cooking gas have been observational because obviously it would be unethical to expose children intentionally to environmental risks but, most of the problems seem to be linked back to when those appliances aren’t maintained properly. For instance, you could have NO2 concentration in much higher indoor settings … Are you calling for people to rip out their gas stoves, get rid of them?” co-host Becky Quick asked.
Schwalb said “we’re not talking about ripping out gas stoves” and called it “exaggerated hyperbole.” Schwalb then said that consumers should be informed about the risks associated with gas stoves.
“Do you have a gas stove in your house, Brian?” co-host Joe Kernen asked. (RELATED: BASTACH: Yes, Biden And The Left Are Coming For Your Gas Stove One Way Or Another)
“I do have a gas stove in my house and I enjoy having a fast stove,” Schwalb said. “And I appreciate being able to be aware that there are risks associated with it so that I can protect my family and my girls and make sure the ventilation works. All of that is important to us, absolutely, so that’s really what this process of going through a rule-making and information gathering process is so important to make sure people across the country know the risks and can protect themselves.”
The disputes surrounding gas stoves bans comes after the Department of Energy revealed a proposed rule earlier this year that would set a new “energy conservation standard” for gas stoves and electric cooking equipment. The proposed rule would create energy efficiency standards for newly manufactured gas stoves.
Meanwhile a commissioner at the CPSC told Bloomberg in January that the administration was considering a nationwide ban on gas stoves citing a December 2022 study claiming the stoves account for roughly 12.7% of childhood asthma cases in the U.S..