The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has no plans to ban gas stoves, the agency said, according to Bloomberg.
A commissioner from the same agency, Richard Trumka Jr., earlier this week said that the CPSC had been considering a ban on gas stoves for months, with Trumka recommending in October that the agency seek public comment on the hazards of gas stoves.
But the head of the CPSC, Alexander Hoehn-Saric, said on Wednesday that the agency had no such plans.
"I am not looking to ban gas stoves and the CPSC has no proceeding to do so," Hoehn-Saric said in a statement to Bloomberg on Wednesday, just a day after discussions of a ban set off a flurry of reactions on both sides.
Hoehn-Saric added that the Commission-made up of just four members-was researching emissions from gas stoves.
Back in August of last year, the Committee on Oversight and Reform-the principal oversight committee of the House of Representatives, asked the Commission to turn over documents and information "about the CPSC's failure to establish safety standards and provide adequate warnings to consumers addressing the significant health risks posed by indoor air pollution from gas stoves." The Committee document was retrieved in Cached form, as the document can no longer be found at its original web location.
The push against gas stoves has resulted in GOP backlash, with Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) also speaking out against the idea of a ban on the cooking appliance preferred by most chefs.
"This is a recipe for disaster. The federal government has no business telling American families how to cook their dinner," Manchin said, adding that if this was the CPSC's greatest concern, "I think we need to reevaluate the commission."
By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com
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