Eugene, OR, city council voted 5-3 to pass an ordinance banning natural gas infrastructure in new low-rise residential construction at a special meeting on February 6. .The special meeting was held at the request of Eugene city councillors who felt the topic should be sent to residents for a vote, according to a press release. The release said that motion did not pass by a vote of 3-5. .It said a motion was made to move forward with the proposed ordinance, and it was approved by Eugene city council by a vote of 5-3. .The city council held public hearings on the ordinance to prohibit new fossil fuel infrastructure in new low-rise residential buildings in November and December. Low-rise residential buildings include single-family dwellings, duplexes, triplexes, quadruplexes, cottage clusters, and any residential structure three stories or less. .The ordinance prohibits fossil fuel infrastructure in new low-rise residential buildings, adding Section 6.695 and 6.696 to the Eugene Code. .Republicans and fossil fuel supporters rallied behind gas stoves on Jan. 11 as a flash point in the United States’ ongoing culture wars and a source of conservative resistance to President Joe Biden’s environmental agenda..The controversy was ignited when United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Commissioner Richard L. Trumka Jr. said he would not rule out a ban on the appliances, prompting the agency to pivot two days after and say he did not intend on it. .Trumka’s comment prompted loud complaints from Republicans, who accused the CPSC of trying to snatch the stoves from the 40 million homes relying on them..Canadian environmentalist David Suzuki said on January 17 gas stoves should be restricted because they cause household pollution and climate change. .READ MORE: David Suzuki joins in on opposing gas stoves.“Gas stoves release dangerous pollutants into homes, buildings and the atmosphere, including nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, and particulate matter,” said Suzuki. .An analysis of 27 studies on the effects of gas appliances on children concluded 12.7% of current childhood asthma cases in the United States can be attributed to them. This ranges from 3% in Florida to 21.1% in Illinois.
