(RepublicanNews.org) – The Empire State’s Democrats seem to be chomping at the bit to ban as many gas-fired appliances as they can, and their Republican counterparts are getting fed up.
New York Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt said Governor Kathy Hochul’s proposed ban on gas appliance installation in new buildings was “ridiculous.” Hochul’s already-late 2024 budget proposal reportedly calls for a complete ban on installing gas stoves, heaters, clothes dryers—any gas appliances—in new buildings, including residential homes.
Ortt said the proposal would be “comedic” if it weren’t so serious.
The Democratic pivot against natural gas took off unexpectedly fast after an Australian study published in late 2022 suggested that more than 12% of childhood asthma cases could be chalked up to indoor gas stoves. What was even more surprising was how quickly Democrat-progressive politicians turned this concern into an environmental case against natural gas.
Natural gas-fired appliances burn much more cleanly than almost all other fuel sources. For years, American city buses have proudly proclaimed on signs that they are powered by “clean natural gas.”
Governor Hochul also called for “zero emissions” in new construction by 2025. It is not possible in the physical world for most activities to be “zero-emissions.” Even if electric appliances are used at a particular site, the generation of the electricity often occurs at pollution-emitting plants somewhere else.
About 60% of New York State residents used natural gas for heating, and another 20% used oil. A smaller percentage heat their homes with electricity, which in most markets is significantly more expensive than natural gas. Even those houses that heat with electricity use energy created by natural gas-fired power plants.
Senator Ortt said it was ridiculous to think that gas stoves were responsible for “climate change.” He said “We’re not going to stop the polar ice caps from melting because my mom had to use an electric stove.
Governor Hochul continues to describe her proposed bans as an act of caring for children and grandchildren who, she says, are threatened by climate change.
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