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Earlier this month, Democrats in New York passed a budget limiting the use of natural gas in new construction. Natural gas hookups won't be allowed in most construction projects, including homes. That means no natural gas appliances, such as stoves and dryers. Buildings will have to install electric heating. There are some exceptions, including for restaurants, hospitals and large industrial buildings.
New York passed this intrusive law over concerns about global warming. Climate alarmists are concerned about the methane in natural gas. The conventional wisdom is that it's a much greater contributor to global warming than carbon dioxide in the short term. But if this were the case, you might expect New York politicians to inform the public how much this effort will reduce global temperatures.
Instead, you're not even supposed to notice this is happening.
Recall that in January, U.S. Consumer Product Safety commissioner Richard Trumka Jr. suggested his agency could ban gas stoves. Such an idea is unpopular and well out of the mainstream. Republicans noticed and harshly criticized the proposal.
Democrats and the national mainstream media responded as if their concerns were a hoax or wild conspiracy theory.
"What the right's gas stove freakout was really about," a Politico headline read. An MSNBC opinion piece contended, "Republicans have found their new dumb culture war."
"Republicans mocked over outraged claims government ‘coming for' gas stoves," Newsweek wrote.
"Nobody is taking away your gas stove," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., tweeted in early February. "Shameless and desperate MAGA Republicans are showing us they will cook up any distraction to divert from real issues the American people want solved."
Perhaps Sen. Schumer should spend more time in his home state. New York City passed a ban on gas heat and stoves in 2021. It's one of dozens of cities and counties that have enacted similar laws. A proposal along these lines has been floated in the Nevada Legislature.
On Monday, Democratic attorneys general in 10 states and Washington, D.C., sent a letter to that same Consumer Product Safety Commission. They applauded the agency for collecting information on the "hazards posed by gas stoves and potential pathways for mitigating those hazards." In other words, they're coming for your gas stove, they just don't want you to find out about it until it's too late.
If Democrats want to ban gas stoves — and many obviously do — why not stop lying about it? You can't have a healthy civic debate when one side is allowed to pretend its opponents are conspiracy theorists for noticing what's actually being said.
(COMMENT, BELOW)
Previously:
• Biden's busy bureaucrats beef up regulatory state
• Don't even dare think of emulamating New Yawk!
• Where have all the nation's college students gone?
• Soft-on-crime policies hit hard wall of political reality
• Joe Biden and Monty Python is no comedy
• Global warming was supposed to wreak havoc on polar bears. Looks like someone forgot to tell the polar bears