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.

Politico reported:

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.