Last Tuesday (2), the parliament of the state of New York, in the United States, approved a resolution that prohibits the use of gas ovens and stoves in new buildings already existing or to be built in the future in its territory.
The measure was announced together with the approval of the state budget, and it was an old demand from environmental activists who lobbied Governor Kathy Hochul and lawmakers New Yorkers.
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Both the governor and most members of the House and Senate of New York are affiliated with the Democratic party, which is more inclined to take measures similar to the one adopted now.
In addition to prohibiting the use of gas in homes, the new law encourages the use of supposedly ecological alternatives. to replace fossil fuels both in cooking and in heating water and environments domestic.
The new rules must be implemented by buildings of up to seven floors by 2026. Meanwhile, buildings with more than seven floors will have to comply by 2029.
Despite being broad, the measure exempts large commercial and industrial buildings from complying with it, such as stores, hospitals, laundries and restaurants.
New York is the first state to pass such a law. Previously, only cities had enacted equivalent measures, as was the case with Berkeley, San Francisco and New York, the state capital.
According to surveys carried out by environmentalists in the United States, the use of natural gas in stoves and ovens in New York would be generating impacts on the planet's climate.
According to these studies, methane gas, used for cooking, heating the house and heating water, is 80 times more harmful than carbon dioxide in terms of triggering the greenhouse effect.
For this reason, climate specialists have been warning of the need to reduce natural gas emissions in homes and commercial spaces. In addition, it is believed that methane and other gases can cause serious respiratory diseases such as asthma and bronchitis.
Also according to specialists, residences represent 32% of all natural gas emissions into the atmosphere, while the remaining 68% are emitted in other ways.
Before the new law was passed in New York, US Consumer Product Safety Commissioner Richard Trumka Jr. made strong comments against the use of natural gas in homes. According to Trumka Jr., gas stoves and ovens should be banned because they cause respiratory diseases in the population.
On the other hand, the commissioner assured that he does not defend that the regulatory agencies “enter the houses of anyone and take items that are already there", in reference to a possible compulsory obligation to dispose of equipment.
Governor Kathy Hochul's spokesperson, Katy Zielinski, issued the state government's opinion on the new measure. "It [the measure] will protect our families and residents, while putting New York on a trajectory towards a cleaner and healthier future," the spokeswoman said in a statement.
On the other hand, some members of the North American natural gas industry view the new measure with concern. For Karen Harbert, president and CEO of the American Gas Association, the new law could make life harder for the poorest people.
“Any effort to ban natural gas could increase costs for consumers, jeopardizing environmental progress and denying affordable energy to underserved populations,” he said.
While gas stoves and ovens are banned in New York, in at least six states controlled by the liberal-conservative Republican party, the so-called “Law of Preference” was enacted, establishing that the population can choose between using natural gas or other energy sources for cooking and Warm.
Graduated in History and Human Resources Technology. Passionate about writing, today he lives the dream of acting professionally as a Content Writer for the Web, writing articles in different niches and different formats.