Biden’s Misanthropic War on Gas Ranges

Let us begin with a headline posted on January 9, 2023: Biden Administration Considers Banning Gas Stoves over Health Concerns

The Bureaucratic ‘Hammer’ to The Rescue

In the age of ‘wokeness’, Joe Biden’s EPA assumes authority over the safety of stoves.

“There is one principle of behavioral science that has been well established over the years. This is ‘Loevinger’s law of irresistible use’ which says that if a boy has a hammer, this proves something needs pounding. The political science analogue is that if there is a government agency, this proves something needs regulating.”

U.S. government regulator named Lee Loevinger of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), October 23, 1967, page A22, Column 3

Due to outcries from citizens and knowledgeable experts, Joe Biden reverses course within two days. A CNN politics post titled, Biden not in favor of ban on gas stoves, White House says. This story was published on January 11, 2023.

Improperly adjusted gas stovetops can be problematic if the homeowner is unaware of an improperly adjusted air-fuel (gas) mixture.

How do you know your gas stove is operating properly?

The ideal air to flame ratio is about 10%. This means that for every 1 cubic foot of gas that is being burned, 10 cubic feet of air are being drawn into the furnace.

If the air to flame ratio is too low, the flame will be yellow and smoky. This is because there is not enough oxygen in the air to support the complete combustion of the gas.

If the air to flame ratio is too high, the flame will be blue and noisy. This is because there is too much oxygen in the air and the gas is burning too rapidly.

WarmMass: Adjust Gas Stove Flame: Which Too High, Too Low, or Uneven!

Which stove type is more dangerous, electric or gas?

Cooking is such a routine activity that it is easy to forget that the high temperatures used can easily start a fire. During 2014–2018, cooking was the leading cause of reported home fires and home fire injuries
and the second leading cause of home fire deaths.

Cooking caused an average of 172,900 reported home structure fires per year (49 percent of all reported home fires in the US). These fires resulted in an average of 550 civilian deaths (21 percent of all home
fire deaths) and 4,820 civilian injuries (44 percent of all reported home fire injuries) annually.

Ranges or cooktops were involved in 61 percent of reported home cooking fires, 87 percent of cooking fire deaths, and 78 percent of cooking fire injuries. Households that used electric ranges showed a higher risk of cooking fires and associated losses than those using gas ranges.

National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA) Research, July 2020: Home Cooking Fires

Conclusion

One can assume the CPSC finds death a more acceptable outcome than asthma. The Consumer Products Safety Commission bureaucrats in the Joe Biden administration impelled by Joe’s war on American energy attempt to use their ‘hammer’ to further the boss’s objectives.

The ongoing flood of irrational, intentional crises by the Biden administration negatively affecting the American people suggest a misanthropic worldview.

Question: Where do you find the power of the federal government to regulate stoves? Search the Enumerated Powers listed in Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution. Hint: it’s not there.

Knowledge is power.

John White
Rockwall, Texas