California Has “Been There, Done That” on Push for Gas Stove Ban
By Tim Anaya | February 16, 2023
News that the federal government is considering a ban on the sale of new gas stoves – “everything’s on the table” says a U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commissioner – sparked a national outrage.
Though the White House was forced to quickly issue a statement that the President opposed such a ban, the Commission “has been considering action on gas stoves for months” according to CNN. It is an independent body that can adopt regulations without Biden’s consent.
Californians responded to the hullaballoo with a yawn. As with so many bad ideas, we’ve “been there, done that” banning gas stoves.
Cementing its status as the “de facto think tank for the Biden administration” as the Los Angeles Times called California, bad policies emanating from Sacramento are spreading like wildfires to other states and Washington, DC.
Unelected bureaucrats and Sacramento politicians have enacted plans to ban natural gas appliances and natural gas connections in new home construction in the coming years. They are also implementing plans to outlaw the sale of gas powered cars in the state by 2035 and require all power to be generated from renewable sources.
State energy mandates are imposing huge costs on Californians. Here’s what it means for you:
• End of Consumer Choice: State officials have voted to phase out sales of natural gas appliances, furnaces, and water heaters by 2030. As PRI’s Kerry Jackson wrote after the vote, the unelected bureaucrats “are making decisions that kill consumer choice.”
• Nation’s Highest Electricity Costs: Before mandating massive increases in electricity use with natural gas bans, government energy mandates were imposing the nation’s highest electricity costs on Californians. As PRI’s research shows, electricity bills in California average $1,450 per year. Californians on average pay 56 percent higher electricity prices than the U.S. average, despite consuming 34 percent less.
• State Bans Gas Powered Lawn Equipment, Power Generators: Lawmakers have also outlawed the sale of gas-powered lawn equipment and power generators in California by 2024. As PRI previously noted, these regulations would more than double the cost of gas-powered riding lawnmowers. They also “make it so difficult for individuals to start or grow a gardening business in California,” especially for minority and working class entrepreneurs.
• More Potential Power Shortages: California has already struggled to have enough power to meet demand in hot summer months in recent years, and the problem will only grow worse as the push for an all-electric California moves forward. As PRI noted, “no one can guarantee that California will be able to build enough green energy over the next two decades to meet the growing demand.”
Californians are struggling to pay one of the nation’s highest tax burdens amidst an economy on the brink of recession and rising inflation. Sacramento and Washington should stop trying to dictate how people live their lives. Instead, they should be looking to bring relief from high out-of-pocket costs – not imposing another costly mandate that will hurt working class households especially hard.
Tim Anaya is the Pacific Research Institute’s vice president of marketing and communications.
