LA Times upset that New York beat California in being the first state to restrict gas stoves

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CNN report argues New York's ban on gas stoves will help stop climate change

A CNN report from the network's chief climate correspondent Bill Weir touted New York's ban on natural gas, including gas stoves in new homes, by claiming it would help slow climate change.

The L.A. Times editorial board lamented that California has fallen behind New York in terms of making "climate history" by restricting natural gas. 

Institutions ranging from California’s government to the Biden Administration itself have cracked down on stoves and other appliances through regulation. In January, a member of the Consumer Product Safety Commission claimed a ban on gas stoves was "on the table" because of the health risks. This led to a debate across the country about whether state or local governments would actually crack down on these common machines used by homes and restaurants alike. 

"Nobody is taking away your gas stove," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., tweeted on Feb. 3.

However, Schumer’s own state has led the way in making the ban a reality. New York state leaders led by Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul reached an agreement in late April on the state's 2024 budget which includes a future ban on natural gas hookups in new buildings going forward. 

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The Biden administration and Democrat-led cities are proposing measures to ban gas stoves. (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Hochul cited an environmental agenda, "We're going to be the first state in the nation to advance zero-emission new homes and buildings beginning in 2025 for small buildings, 2028 for large buildings."

The L.A. Times’s bittersweet response was praising the move, but noting that "here in Los Angeles, we admit feeling a tinge of jealousy that California wasn’t the first. Why not?"

The board mourned that there is not a single "legislative proposal on the table" in California’s government to catch up with New York on this issue.

"Spokespeople for state Senate leader Toni Atkins and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon said there are currently no bills in the California Legislature to impose a statewide ban on natural gas hookups in new construction," the board wrote. "And Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office wouldn’t say whether California should follow New York with its own law."

The L.A. Times went on to claim that while cities and counties have had some successful measures passed, "some of those local efforts are in doubt because of a decision last month by the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals that sided with the California Restaurant Assn. in its challenge to Berkeley’s 2019 gas ban."

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., speaks during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, April 17, 2023.  ((AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File))

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The board went on to suggest the remedy for such a "setback for climate action" instead "points to the benefit of a statewide approach," where the state could "craft a policy to avoid the legal questions raised in the Berkeley decision."

The L.A. Times quoted senior fellow at the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia Law School Amy E. Turner arguing that another advantage to state-level action would be "having a uniform statewide requirement and relieving smaller municipalities from having to develop complex requirements that are administratively burdensome to oversee."

The board noticed some measures were being taken, but suggested they were too soft or lacked the urgency to "protect the planet" as well as improve public health.

Banning gas stoves is especially problematic in cities where many restaurants are still struggling to recover from economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. (iStock)

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"That’s not the same as establishing a firm deadline, like New York has, to ensure outdated gas pipes and equipment do not continue to expand, as fossil fuel companies would like," the L.A. Times wrote. "To continue carrying the mantle of climate leadership, and protect the planet and public health, California needs to get serious about building electrification and join New York in drawing the line against new gas appliances and infrastructure."