Most Democratic voters would welcome a ban on natural gas hookups in new construction and buildings located in their own communities, according to a poll conducted last month.
Roughly 56% of Democrats said they would support such a ban, which would effectively mandate electric stovetop and heating appliances in new construction, while just 26% would oppose a ban and 18% were undecided, according to a poll conducted between Jan. 18-19 by Morning Consult. By comparison, 39% of Independent voters and 28% of Republican voters would support a natural gas hookup ban.
Overall, 42% of all adult-age Americans surveyed would support the ban and 39% would oppose it, the poll showed. However, 38% of homeowners would support it compared to the 47% who oppose the ban.
In addition, the Morning Consult survey showed that, among all adults who owned gas stoves, 46% were interested in switching to electric versions and 44% weren’t interested. Half of the respondents, though, said electric stoves don’t work as well as natural gas-powered stoves.
BIDEN AGENCY REFUSES TO CITE RESEARCH SUPPORTING POTENTIAL NATURAL GAS STOVE BAN
The survey results come after the White House was forced to walk back comments from administration officials that it would consider a federal ban on gas stoves after widespread criticism. Days earlier, Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) member Richard Trumka Jr. told Bloomberg that “any option is on the table” and that unsafe products can be banned, noting that gas stoves were a “hidden hazard.”
DEMOCRAT-LED CITIES ARE ALREADY MOVING FORWARD WITH GAS STOVE BANS THAT WILL AFFECT MILLIONS
“Research indicates that emissions from gas stoves can be hazardous, and the CPSC is looking for ways to reduce related indoor air quality hazards,” CPSC Chairman Alexander Hoehn-Saric said following the report.
“CPSC is researching gas emissions in stoves and exploring new ways to address any health risks,” he continued. “CPSC also is actively engaged in strengthening voluntary safety standards for gas stoves.”
The CPSC chairman, though, echoed the White House, saying that he wasn’t “looking to ban gas stoves,” but that the commission would ask the public for information about gas stove emissions and potential solutions in the coming months.
A study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health in December tied 12% of childhood asthma cases to gas stoves.
However, critics have noted the study was partly funded by RMI, a nonprofit research firm that advocates for aggressive green policies and works to “transform global energy systems across the real economy.”
Opponents of the ban have also argued that restricting natural gas usage would lead to significantly higher heating and energy costs for consumers.
“Natural gas is critical for millions of Americans,” Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., the chairwoman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said in January.
“Forcing people to switch to expensive alternatives will only further increase costs on hardworking American families while disproportionately harming the most vulnerable in our communities.”
Still, a handful of major Democratic-led cities have moved forward with their own versions of natural gas hookup bans in new buildings. And the Biden administration has set its sights on regulating a variety of appliances as part of its climate agenda.