What NJ should consider before supporting gas stove ban (Opinion)
Can you imagine not being allowed to buy or operate a new gas stove? With so many in New Jersey using natural gas in their homes, it's hard to think about how something like this would bode well for Garden State citizens.
Now to be clear, President Joe Biden has come out against this idea and there is no ban on gas stoves being planned at this time. However, the idea is currently being floated around by a United States federal agency.
According to CNN, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commissioner Richard Trumka Jr. said "that gas stoves posed a 'hidden hazard' and suggested the agency could ban them." Trumka also pointed out "that any ban would apply only to new gas stoves, not existing ones."
So if you already have a gas stove at home you're good for now. However, if this ban were to materialize, you wouldn't be able to replace your existing gas stove with another.
So what's the big problem here? Well, it has to do with respiratory problems such as asthma.
According to CNN, a study conducted in 2022 "found that almost 13% of current childhood asthma in the US is attributable to gas stove use." So apparently that stove is causing more harm than good.
Although this ban proposed would be national, there is a Jersey connection to this. U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J. and U.S. Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., urged the federal agency to take action in December. That, according to the New York Post.
Some areas throughout the country already take it a step further and ban gas hookups in new homes. Is it possible that New Jersey soon see something like this?
Look, I completely get where Sen. Booker, along with his colleagues, are coming from. Nothing is more important than our health and well-being, which is one of the reasons behind the support for this ban.
There are also environmental factors mentioned as part of this proposed ban. But would it be practical for New Jersey to do this? I would say no, and here's why.
For one, portions of our existing infrastructure are out of date, which includes New Jersey's power grid. Can you imagine the added stress to our power system if they had to carry the additional load of electric stoves replacing gas ones?
Also, New Jersey is heavily reliant on natural gas as it is. Even if we wanted to move away from it, it would take years to make the transition.
Especially with older homes and buildings that use natural gas. If New Jersey ever decided to outright ban new construction from having natural gas hookups and start to remove natural gas lines in general, it would still take many years to upgrade existing buildings throughout the state.
And phasing it out goes back to our infrastructure issue with our aging power grid. If we wanted to do this, then our electrical system would need to be upgraded to support the additional load of those appliances that formerly used natural gas before any ban goes into place.
Look, it's not that I'm against shifting away from using natural gas, I just don't think it's practical to do in New Jersey. At least, not at this time.
Being Sen. Cory Booker is one of the primary supporters of this, it makes you have to wonder if there would ever be future considerations for natural gas bans in New Jersey. He's not wrong for wanting to further move toward clean energy, we just need to make sure we approach any natural gas bans logically.
