When a Biden administration bureaucrat floated the idea of banning gas stoves, most Americans couldn’t believe their ears. Opposition was so swift and great that the administration quickly backtracked, though we’ll see how long they wait before trying again. In the meantime, the science behind the idea is garbage. Steve Everley, Managing Director in the Energy & Natural Resources sector at FTI Consulting, goes into detail.

Seemingly out of nowhere, the gas stove has become front-page news. But this was no random coincidence. The full-court press to scare people about a perfectly safe kitchen appliance found in nearly 40 percent of U.S. homes and a ubiquitous feature of restaurants nationwide has been years in the making and is part of a carefully cultivated campaign. …

Before we get into what led to the commissioner’s comments, let’s examine where mainstream science is on gas stoves and indoor air quality.

In short, he reports that “the largest analysis of any possible link between gas stoves and childhood asthma found ‘no evidence of an association between the use of gas as a cooking fuel and either asthma symptoms or asthma diagnosis.’” That was a worldwide study involving 500,000 children. Other studies came to the same conclusion. Ventilation makes a big difference, as does using stoves according to manufacturer guidelines. The biggest thing, he says, is that “what you cook accounts for the vast majority of emissions.” Electric stoves don’t address that source of emissions, so, he quips, “Perhaps the CPSC will consider banning home cooking entirely.”

So, what is this “growing body of research” that supposedly links gas stoves to negative health impacts? Several studies in recent years have attracted headlines, but their methods were suspect at best and far from representative of a real kitchen. They also all have links to environmental groups trying to ban fossil fuels in favor of a full electrification policy.

Take, for instance, this 2020 study from researchers at UCLA. They claimed to link gas stoves to asthma, but they used a model that assumed no ventilation. They also used the wrong metrics, comparing moment-in-time peak concentrations to a longer-term averaged standard. Dr. Dan Tormey of Catalyst Environmental reviewed the report and determined it was “not appropriate nor realistic.” Tormey added that “had the UCLA Report made the correct comparisons, it would have concluded that there are no health impacts from indoor use of natural gas appliances.” Notably, the study was funded by the anti-fossil fuel Sierra Club, which the authors fully disclosed.

In January 2022, researchers at Stanford University published a similar study claiming the “climate and health impacts of natural gas stoves are greater than previously thought.” In the acknowledgments the researchers thanked a staffer from RMI, one of the leading environmental organizations calling for ending the use of residential natural gas, for her “insights and suggestions.” Like the UCLA report that preceded it, the analysis was based on an environment without ventilation: The authors created an “airtight portion of the room,” and “clear plastic sheets were sealed along the ceiling, walls, and floor.”

It should go without saying that an “airtight” kitchen encased in plastic sheets is not representative of any real-world kitchen.

More recently, a study from researchers at RMI concluded that a significant number of U.S. cases of childhood asthma could be attributed to gas stoves. The headlines that accompanied it were similar to what the Washington Post published: “Gas stove pollution causes 12.7% of childhood asthma, study finds.”

Once again, the limitations were significant. Out of more than 300 studies since 2013 that the authors identified, they selected fewer than 30 that they deemed “potentially pertinent” to use in building their analysis, but they did not disclose all the studies they selected. Furthermore, as the American Gas Association observed, the authors “conducted no measurements or tests based on real-life appliance usage.”

After days of scrutiny, one of the lead authors admitted that the study “does not assume or estimate a causal relationship” between childhood asthma and gas-stove use.

Nevertheless, the Leftmedia runs with the “mounting evidence” headlines so as to scare people into compliance. The goal? Climate activism if not federally then at least at the state and local level, and they’re enjoying success already.

Fact checkers and news outlets have gone to great lengths to assure us that no federal ban on gas stoves is on the table. But that’s a red herring. While federal officials declare no interest in a ban, several local governments are going full speed ahead with bans, code updates that effectively prohibit gas, and other restrictions — often with the encouragement of the White House itself.

Everley concludes:

Americans clearly do not support banning gas stoves, but with the campaign to advance those bans ramping up and pressuring local governments, the truth is needed more than ever — and the stakes could not be higher.

Read the whole thing here.