OAN Geraldyn Berry
5:08 PM – Thursday, May 4, 2023
New legislation that prohibits gas stoves and furnaces in the majority of new buildings was passed by the New York legislature.
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Governor Kathy Hochul (D-N.Y.) and the Democrat-led legislature passed the new $229 billion fiscal year budget on Tuesday night, making New York the first to pass a state law banning gas appliances.
“I want to be very clear. I know people love to misinterpret this, but people with existing gas stoves, you’re welcome to keep them,” Hochul said. “This is where our nation has to go eventually. But I want to make sure that it’s not a bumpy road to the transition.”
The measure prohibits the installation of fossil-fuel equipment in buildings of seven stories or less in 2026, with the ban for larger buildings starting in 2029.
“Changing the ways, we make and use energy to decrease our reliance on fossil fuels will help ensure a healthier environment for us and our children,” New York Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said.
According to the lawmakers, hospitals, eateries, and structures that are not entirely supported by the electrical grid are examples of exempt buildings. Existing structures are unaffected.
Republican leaders have opposed the initiative to lessen the use of fossil fuel-burning appliances as a violation of consumer and homeowner rights.
In January, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commissioner Richard Trumka Jr. said that natural gas stoves are “a hidden hazard” and other suggested unsafe products might be banned as well. This announcement came as the Consumer Product Safety Commission had been investigating strategies to lessen risks associated with indoor air quality.
According to their research, gas stoves were to blame for more than 12% of American children’s asthma cases, indoor air pollution, heart problems, cancer, and other illnesses.
“New York State is leading the way in ending America’s devastating addiction to fossil fuels. The rest of the country must now catch up,” said Food & Water Watch Northeast Region Director Alex Beauchamp. “New York’s bold move to become the first state in the nation to prohibit fossil fuels in new construction is undeniably huge. … With all-electric construction, New York will forge the way to a green energy economy with better jobs, cheaper bills, and cleaner, healthier communities.”
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