The CPSC is seeking ‘public input,’ starting today.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission is still thinking about your gas stove.
No new regulations have been proposed, but the agency has issued a request for information, which was published today in the Federal Register. It is “seeking public input on chronic hazards associated with gas stoves and proposed solutions for these hazards.” A request for information is a process that agencies use to get feedback from consumers, industry, advocacy groups, and other parts of government.
Commissioner Richard Trumka Jr. issued a statement that hailed the move as “an important milestone on the road to protecting consumers from potential hidden hazards in their homes — the emissions from gas stoves.”
As I wrote in a Corner post last week, if the government is requesting input from the public, we should provide it. Let’s tell the CPSC to mind its own business and let Americans cook in peace. The commission is run by unaccountable, power-hungry bureaucrats who have harassed Americans in other contexts through unconstitutional means. If the progressive busybody activists are going to wring their hands about the supposed hazards of gas stoves, the millions of gas-stove owners in this country who operate them safely and experience no ill effects should make their voices heard.
You may submit comments to the CPSC either online or by mail. The deadline is May 8.
To submit a comment online:
- Click here.
- In the box labeled “Comment,” you have up to 5,000 characters to make your voice heard.
- Under “What is your comment about?” select “Consumer/Individual.”
- Enter your email address if you want to receive confirmation that your comment was received (this is not required).
- Under “Tell us about yourself! I am . . .” select “An Individual.”
- Under “Your Contact Information,” enter your first and last name. Those are the only required identifiers.
- Click the reCAPTCHA box to prove you are not a robot.
- Click “Submit Comment.”
To submit a comment by mail:
- Write your comment as a letter addressed to Alberta E. Mills, the secretary of the CPSC.
- At the top of your letter, include the docket number: CPSC-2023-0009.
- Mail your letter to:
Office of the Secretary
Consumer Product Safety Commission
4330 East West Highway
Bethesda, MD 20814
The website provides advice on how to submit an effective comment. It says that a “constructive, information-rich comment that clearly communicates and supports its claims is more likely to have an impact on regulatory decision making.” Owners of gas stoves should have no problem meeting that standard.
Describe to the CPSC your gas-stove usage, either currently or in the past, and how it has affected your personal safety. Write about the last time you boiled water to make pasta, simmered a pot of chili, or steamed vegetables. You are a consumer of gas stoves, and even if you don’t have one now, you are a potential consumer of gas stoves, so your input matters.
Record any negative effects you felt as a result of your gas-stove usage. If there were none, make that clear to the CPSC. Perhaps you could mention whether you agree with Commissioner Trumka’s statement that gas stoves present “hidden hazards” in your home. You could tell the CPSC how long you have had a gas stove, or whether you prefer them over other types of stoves.
Mention some of the scientific evidence on hazards from stoves. You could include some of the information from Steve Everley’s NR article earlier this year about the shortcomings of anti-gas research. One study he cited found that even with relatively poor ventilation, the levels of nitrogen dioxide emissions from gas stoves are far lower than the level that’s considered dangerous. He also wrote that far more emissions are caused by the food being cooked than by the power source that cooks them. You could remind the CPSC that anti-gas-stove research has been funded by environmentalist groups such as RMI and the Sierra Club, which have no particular expertise in consumer safety.
You could also mention the comments made to Luther Abel by appliance experts in his recent NR article. One talked about a recent California regulation on energy-efficient washing machines that resulted in less reliable appliances for consumers, an outcome the CPSC should want to avoid with respect to stoves.
It might be worth mentioning the disparate racial impact of gas-stove regulation, since, as Judson Berger wrote last year, some types of ethnic cuisine “depend on live fire.” We’ve seen a test run of this type of thing in Los Angeles, which voted to ban gas stoves in new buildings, prompting outcry from Asian-American restaurant owners.
As a concerned American citizen who supports and defends the Constitution, you could remind the CPSC that the federal government should not be in the business of micromanaging kitchens. As Charlie Cooke has written, Americans are capable of self-government and can evaluate the risks of different types of stoves themselves.
Your comment could be made part of the public record for this agency action, so use your real name and be respectful. Do not copy other people’s responses. Form letters are not effective and are likely to be thrown out. There’s no need for the comment to be long. The online process took me about ten minutes. Be concise and honest about your experience as a consumer of gas stoves.
The CPSC claims that its top priority is consumer protection. Consumers, a category that includes you, should use this opportunity to tell the agency that they are not in need of additional protection from their stoves. Let’s make our voices heard.