New York State is imposing a ban on gas burning stoves and other fossil fuel appliances, requiring only electric heating and cooking in new buildings, including new homes, under seven storeys by 2026..“The legislation adopted by lawmakers in the Democratic-run state legislature late Tuesday will require newly built homes to be all-electric in three years' time,” reports Newsmax, adding it makes New York the first state in the US with such legislation..State legislators say the law is aimed at tackling New York’s dependence on natural gas and environmental activists are claiming it as a victory.."Changing the ways we make and use energy to decrease our reliance on fossil fuels will help ensure a healthier environment for us and our children," said state assembly speaker Carl Heastie..There is a second deadline of 2029 for buildings of more than seven storeys..The law acknowledges electric has its disadvantages, saying hospitals, critical infrastructure such as transportation, and commercial food establishments are exempt from the legislation..Also exempt are buildings where the local grid is not capable of handling the load, meaning residents can keep gas stoves they already have..Gas stoves became a flashpoint in the US earlier this year when Richard Trumka Jr, a member of the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, suggested the government might ban new gas stoves over concerns they cause harmful air pollution indoors..Representatives from the fossil fuel industry and Republican allies slammed Trumpka’s comments and the White House was forced to clarify that stoves would not be banned, reports Newsmax, adding the US Energy Department says 52% of households in New York state use natural gas for heating or cooking..The law was part of a $229 billion budget lawmakers approved for the state, which also gives the New York Power Authority, the state-owned public utility provider, the right to build and operate renewable energy facilities..New York’s Democratic governor, Kathy Hochul, said the plan was a way to fight climate change, but average New Yorkers told The New York Post the idea wasn’t so hot..A February Siena College poll found just 39% of registered voters support banning all fossil-fuel burning equipment for new family homes..“Kathy should mind her own business and get out of our kitchens,” Yas Kantakis, told The Post..“Now she’s in our kitchens first, our bedrooms will be next. Why would somebody come into your private home and tell you what to do? We’re not communist yet — we’re getting there — but it’s just an insult.”.Other New Yorkers expressed their displeasure to the Post..“I’m very much against the change,” said Ella, an Upper East Side resident who declined to give her full name. “I don’t see the benefit. Electric stoves don’t cook as well.”.“I have electric in Florida, and I hate it, you can’t control it,” said her neighbor Claire Gozzo, 70. “I want a new stove. I don’t like it. I like gas because you can control it, and everything cooks good.”.Other critics feel the ban will drive up energy costs and members of the construction industry expressed concerns about how the change might negatively disrupt the building industry..“People are apt to make choices of whether they are located in New York State or somewhere else and this will provide a further strain on the market until there’s certainty about the availability in the grid as we move forward so that’s a real concern,” Joseph Hogan, vice-president of building services at the Associated Contractors of New York State, told the Post.
