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The latest manufactured conservative outrage concerns a floated "ban" on gas stoves by the commissioner for the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) due to the toxic chemicals released that can contribute to childhood asthma.
Although CPSC Commissioner Richard Trumka Jr. shut down claims his agency is on the cusp of banning gas stoves—he is considering new regulations on gas stoves to "reduce related indoor air quality hazards"—it hasn't stopped Republicans from conjuring images of federal agents storming into people's homes and taking gas stoves by force.
Florida Republican Representative Matt Gaetz couldn't help but weigh in on this conservative bogeyman of government overreach, saying in a Twitter post we'll "have to pry" his gas stove "from [his] COLD DEAD HANDS!"
Gaetz accompanied his statement with a video of his gas stove blazing defiantly.
You can see the video for yourself below.
\u201cYou\u2019ll have to pry it from my COLD DEAD HANDS! \n\n#FoodieRevolt\u201d— Matt Gaetz (@Matt Gaetz) 1673531174
The video was so absurd Twitter users couldn't help but pile on Gaetz after he posted it.
\u201cThis is called literal gas lighting \ud83e\udd23\u201d— Shea LaRoux \ud83d\udc99\ud83d\udc9b (@Shea LaRoux \ud83d\udc99\ud83d\udc9b) 1673582604
\u201cThere is nothing you can say or do to confront MAGA gaslighting that won\u2019t be met with more MAGA gaslighting\n\nNothing. That\u2019s the loop we\u2019re in. \n\nThey will do and say anything. And there is nothing you can do or say to do anything about it. \n\nThat is the MAGA gaslighting paradox\u201d— Luke Zaleski (@Luke Zaleski) 1673627930
\u201cclean your stovetop, man. no one wants to see that.\u201d— Matt Binder (@Matt Binder) 1673571591
\u201cICYMI: The GOP\u2019s hysteria about gas stoves is because they\u2019re linked to childhood asthma. The GOP is angry about concerns for children\u2019s health; surprise.\u201d— Sgt Joker (@Sgt Joker) 1673614690
\u201cLawmakers at their best. Red states rank 9 out of 10 worst states for poverty, opportunity, life span, neonatal mortality, education, healthcare and they focus on this which is not happening. All lies, all the time.\u201d— This is rocket science (@This is rocket science) 1673614786
\u201c(waking up from a 6-day coma) i cant wait to go online and perfectly understand the culture war\u201d— zach silberberg (@zach silberberg) 1673619707
\u201cMatt defends doing hot knives with the high school kids.\u201d— Scrappy McBuckyball (@Scrappy McBuckyball) 1673568151
\u201cwe would be so owned if he just turned on all the burners and let \u2018em rock all night, we\u2019d be so owned if he did that\u201d— Miguel (@Miguel) 1673562317
\u201cWe've reached the "pro carbon monoxide" stage of the culture war I see https://t.co/K4kmiWTDUf\u201d— Owen: The Final Sourcening (@Owen: The Final Sourcening) 1673564517
Research does show gas stoves pose risks to public health and while the CPSC has several options available to them—which include setting new performance standards for range hoods to ensure they are filtering out emissions—the move to curb indoor air pollution is just one piece of the larger picture.
About 40 million Americans use gas stoves and they're not going anywhere anytime soon despite an ongoing push to make the nation less reliant on natural gas and other fossil fuels.
The natural gas industry has a strong incentive to oppose CPSC regulation, though not necessarily because of gas stoves themselves. Gas furnaces and water heaters—which are also regulated to contribute less to both indoor and outdoor pollution—are a major profit margin for the industry.
Cities and states are looking to reduce their reliance on gas stoves largely in response to campaigns by climate activists to make buildings less reliant on gas because they account for about 13 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.
However, citywide and statewide initiatives thus far have focused on ensuring new construction runs on electricity rather than remodeling existing buildings.
Federal regulation is a long way off though homeowners and building operators can opt to take advantage of newly available federal tax credits and rebates that make it easier for Americans to electrify their homes.