The ban on gas stoves is just the beginning: what environmentally friendly projects they want to implement in New York

A group of legislators, doctors and scientists have asked Gov. Kathy Hochul to pass the NY Home Energy Affordable Transition Act, just months after Hochul's controversial decision to ban gas stoves, furnaces and propane heating in new homes in the state, according to reports. New York Post.

During a virtual press conference this week, the agitated group presented a report arguing against the use of any gas appliances.

The group's Affordable Energy Transition bill would effectively decommission gas pipelines and natural gas plants and accelerate the transition away from natural gas for heating and cooking in all New York City homes. The proposed bill passed in the Senate with a score 39-23, but didn't get through Assembly.

The governor's so-called “gas stove ban” sparked heated debate among New Yorkers and even led to a lawsuit by a coalition of business owners, workers and unions who complained about the potentially high cost of electric stoves.

Total danger

But now in a new 600-page A compilation released by Concerned Health Professionals of New York and Physicians for Social Responsibility advocates even more aggressive action to address the dangers gas appliances pose to households, not to mention the harm posed by hydraulic fracturing.

According to experts, each stage of hydraulic fracturing releases toxic chemicals that not only pollute the environment, but also pose a real danger to both workers and residents. Hydraulic fracturing is prohibited in the state.

On the subject: You will no longer be able to buy an incandescent light bulb in New York: it is prohibited by law

“Today, I want to say that despite the statewide ban on fracking, New Yorkers are still not protected from the harmful effects of toxic substances that fracking inevitably brings, nor from the climate crisis that fracking is exacerbating,” she said at the conference. biologist Sandra Steingraber, co-founder of Concerned Health Professionals of New York.

Based on more than a decade of research, the report's co-authors say fracking workers are exposed to nitrogen dioxide and benzene.

At the same time, gas stoves are the cause of one in five cases of childhood asthma across the state. They are called the “end point of the fracturing pipeline,” and they release nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, benzene and other fine particles into the atmosphere.

“These fumes travel quickly through our homes and, in some cases, raise benzene concentrations in the bedroom above legal limits for several hours after the gas stove is turned off,” Steingraber says.

Dirt, stink and harmful to health

Chronic exposure to these substances can have negative health effects, such as respiratory symptoms or some types of cancer. Alarmingly, the air inside homes with gas stoves has concentrations of nitrogen dioxide that are 50% to 400% higher than those in homes powered by electricity, the report says.

Such levels of indoor pollution “could easily exceed health standards” and could even be considered illegal if they occurred outdoors, Steingraber noted.

“Combusting fossil fuels indoors just doesn't make sense,” said pediatrician Dr. Kathleen Nolan, who also heads the New York chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility. “It’s dirty, stinky, unhealthy and unsafe.” The pollutants are exactly the same as those produced by smoking cigarettes, with the addition of nitrogen oxides.”

If passed, the bill would also repeal the “100-foot rule,” which requires consumers to pay monthly for gas lines within 100 feet of their homes even if they don't need them, saving an estimated $75. . per month.

“This is important for the poor and working class,” said New York State Sen. Gustavo Rivera, who chairs the health committee. “This is money they can use to pay rent, medicine, food.”