People will undoubtedly pay attention to the warning label. No, really!

Gas powered stoves in California could now come with a health warning label similar to what you’d find on a pack of cigarettes or other tobacco products, according to a new proposed law in the state.

California lawmakers passed a bill at the end of August that would make it illegal to sell a gas stove that is manufactured or sold online on or after Jan. 1, 2025, or sold in a store on or after Jan. 1, 2026, “unless the gas stove bears an adhesive label attached in a conspicuous location,” according to the text of the bill. Gov. Gavin Newsom has until the end of September to sign the bill into law, NPR reported.

The labels, often pushed by environmental groups like Climate Action Now, are the latest development in a multi-year battle between climate activists who argue that gas stoves are environmentally detrimental and unsafe and pro-gas stove industry advocates and consumers who view the proposals as the government meddling in private life. 

Last year, when the Consumer Product Safety Commission sought to ban gas stoves, the agency relied on questionable research to justify it. An individual named Talor Gruenwald was listed as one of the manuscript’s authors and he is associated with a group named Carbon-Free Buildings out of Boulder, Colorado, with an address to a Washington D.C. group named Re-Wire America both of which are environmentalist organizations.

This on top of multiple cities across the country, such as New York and Los Angeles, that have banned gas stoves already. At the time, the CPSC wanted to build on the momentum behind this trend, except the science to justify doing so is junk. Consequently, coupling their anti-gas stove efforts with Biden’s electrification push that involves prohibiting gas stoves in new construction, numerous states have strained their power grids.

Two years ago, a study was published in Environmental Science and Technology that some media outlets falsely reported that the authors concluded gas stoves were a threat to health and have a sizeable climate impact. However, a review energy markets and public policy expert Roger Donway noted that the study’s researchers really said that, for now, people should use proper ventilation instead of replacing gas stoves with electric ones.

California’s economy is in bad shape and its crime rates are through the roof, but by golly Golden State politicians gotta make sure they address the so-called health hazards of gas stoves. The media hype surrounding gas stoves and remedies, like bans or even warning labels, are nothing more than efforts to distract from the failings of politicians and are another way to assert political control over people using fear as a weapon.

In the meantime, if your home is equipped with gas stoves, you’re likely safe and potentially saving a significant amount of money as well.

PHOTO CREDIT: Pixabay