The war on natural gas: New study finds no health effects from cooking on natural gas stoves
Update to my Substack post on March 13, 2023, "The War on Natural Gas Ramps Up"
The war on natural gas continues on its decades-long path, with the CPSC (Consumer Products Safety Commission) currently holding internal meetings, the content of which is kept secret from the public. The next virtual meeting of the work group considering “air quality” is July 14. As posted on the CPSC website: “Please contact Charles Bevington at cbevington@cpsc.gov for more information.” I will be sending my request to attend the meeting.
A notable contribution to the gas stove debate is a new peer-reviewed examination of existing research that concluded insufficient evidence demonstrating causal relationships between gas cooking and indoor NOx and asthma and wheezing in children. The study was published in the peer-reviewed journal, “Global Epidemiology, on April 18, 2023, and is entitled “Gas Cooking and Respiratory Outcomes in Children: A Systematic Review. The study examined 66 epidemiology studies and found “low study quality” and “high heterogeneity.” American Gas Association (AGA) funded the research but “was not involved in the drafting of this paper, and the authors had sole responsibility for the contents and professional opinions offered,” according to the AGA press release.
Another development since my March 13 post is that the state of New York ramped up its war on natural gas by becoming the first state in the country to ban natural gas and other fossil fuels in most new buildings:
The law bans gas-powered stoves, furnaces and propane heating and effectively encourages the use of climate-friendly appliances such as heat pumps and induction stoves in most new residential buildings across the state. It requires all-electric heating and cooking in new buildings shorter than seven stories by 2026, and for taller buildings by 2029.
The state’s budget doesn’t ban gas in all new buildings – there are exceptions for large commercial and industrial buildings like stores, hospitals, laundromats, and restaurants, for instance. But the impact on new residential buildings could be significant. Buildings account for 32% of New York State’s planet-warming emissions, according to a 2022 report.
New York will require new buildings to be zero-emissions starting in 2026 and make a state authority a major player in developing renewables as part of this year’s budget, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced late Thursday.
The state’s budget will ban fossil fuel combustion in most new buildings under seven stories starting in 2026, with larger buildings covered in 2029. That means no propane heating and no gas furnaces or stoves in most new construction.
My take: With New York State closing Indian Point, the last nuclear power plant in New York State, and banning new natural gas pipelines in the state, even those passing through the state, the ban on natural gas in commercial buildings starting in 2026 will not be a problem because few if any new office buildings will be built there. New office buildings needed by Wall Street and related financial institutions will be built in Florida and Texas.
In fact if you used all your food waste that you throw out more effectively you yourself could generate more natural gas than you use for cooking creating a net zero sum. Our earth does this 24/7 and our farmers rely on it to offset their costs of food production so you can afford to buy food. Is this so bad and the devil? Of course not and should be practiced by many more people to ease demand on main systems. If you wanna perfect this system design our demand to equal our individual use..which is completley possible if meter owners were'nt in the way. Thru our waste we could essentially cook our food. Heat our water and contribute to our own home heating uf this was approached correctly. But big business discourages this as it would lesson our collective depenance on them and they couldn't overcharge what they are for utilities. Imagine every house had a unit sitting on the counter that processef household biological waste the size of your microwave which produced sll the gas you needed to cook and heat water with...just from food scraps....it is possible but its discouraged over meter control and subscription where delivery is 2 or 3 times cost of actual gas used. It's a bad deal for the common fokk to be sure. The alternative is much better and more balance from earth friendly perspective tho. Leaves more money in your pocket too.
Natural gas a gift from nature and she makes it everyday. Use it and release the energy and the co2 to prosper plant life and produce more nat gas. A total win win. In 20 years semi arid areas around earths deserts have greened with life by slight increase in co2. But media not telling public. Doom scaring instead. Our use of earths trapped fuels is a net good to system and has calmed much unstable climate issues of past. If we sequestor all co2 will will collapse the biosphere and cause our own suicide and take earths living system with us. Prime example is Mars. Something quick and catastrophic ended all life thete. Maybe a climate emergency liberal in charge demanding to cut co2..you don't know...we need truthful insight not alarmist prop to manipulate narrative to some political objective. Earth is in really good shape and lives the co2 we've released to increase plant success. Truth is in the proof. Not political spin.