Missouri Democratic Rep. Cori Bush said Wednesday during a hearing that regulating gas stoves is really just about regulating “indoor air pollution.”
Bush was giving her opening testimony during an Oversight Committee hearing about the need to regulate the common household appliance.
“I wish my Republican colleagues were as concerned about black and brown communities on the front lines of our climate crisis as they are about an appliance,” Bush said.
“This proposed rule is not a ban on gas stoves,” Bush insisted. “This proposed rule is not a ban on gas stoves! We are regulating indoor air pollution.”
“The climate crisis is happening all around us and Republican inaction is costing us lives. As lawmakers we have a moral obligation to prioritize the health and well-being of every person across our country. I represent a community where the threat of climate pollution comes from both inside and outside our homes. In St. Louis city black children are twice as likely to test positive for lead in their blood than white children. St. Louis ranks among the highest across the country for rate of asthma with rates significantly higher for black residents than white residents. I can only imagine the number of my constituents who are unknowingly being poisoned by their gas stove in the state that it is … especially young children, our elders and people with disabilities.”
“Let’s not forget that many of these gas stoves are not owned by the residents of those homes, but often absentee or corporate landlords,” Bush continued, adding regulations must extend to “indoor air pollution.” (RELATED: Dem Attorney General Demanding Gov’t Crack Down On Gas Stoves Admits He Owns One)
“Gas stoves perpetuate an unsustainable reliance on fossil fuels and can cause significant health issues.”
New York State recently passed 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.
The dispute over gas stoves began after the Department of Energy revealed a proposed rule earlier in 2023 to 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.
Democratic attorneys general have pushed for a gas stove crack down, even though at least one — DC AG Brian Schwalb admitted to owning one, adding that he enjoyed having a “fast stove.”