Back in January, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission assured Americans that the agency was not looking to ban gas stoves, contrary to comments Commissioner Richard Trumka Jr. made suggesting otherwise. But since then, Americans have seen exactly that take place, albeit not under directives from the CPSC.
In New York, gas stoves will soon be banned in new residential building construction thanks to an agreement between state legislators and Gov. Kathy Hochul, who said the move is necessary to "transition" to "clean energy alternatives." While New York is the first state in the nation to ban them, other locations have already moved in that direction.
In California, more than 70 cities and counties have banned or discouraged natural gas hookups in new construction, also citing climate change.
But one celebrity chef is getting an exemption from Palo Alto administrators for his new restaurant following the threat of a lawsuit.
The city said it reached a deal with Simon Property Group, which owns the shopping center where chef Jose Andres plans to open Zaytinya, already a popular spot in its Washington, D.C., and New York City locations.
Since SPG applied to build the restaurant in 2019, builders had already installed a gas line into the building, only to be told they needed to meet new code to be electric.
An attorney for SPG wrote to the city calling enforcement of the new code in this context "legally defective and unconstitutional" and said the restaurant would likely relocate if forced to meet the new code.
"Without a gas connection and appliances, Zaytinya would be forced to alter its signature five-star menu, which it is unwilling to do," attorney Anna Shimko wrote. "Zaytinya cannot compromise the caliber of its cuisine and reputation, and if SPG cannot provide gas in Building EE, Zaytinya will likely choose not to locate within the City. This would be an unfortunate loss for the residents of Palo Alto, as well as a compensable loss for which SPG would be forced to seek redress."
The city then changed its tune, a public statement released Tuesday confirmed.
"Building EE at the Stanford Mall is a unique situation, where parts of the project were built or under construction when the City’s all-electric new construction rule went into effect," the statement read. "Due to the years-long planning effort which started in 2019, three years before the City adopted the all-electric requirement, the City and the Mall have agreed that this one project should be able to proceed with gas service consistent with the long-established project plans."
The city insisted that this was a "one-off situation."
"Electric appliances and building systems provide clean and healthy environments in homes and businesses and in many respects, the new technologies perform better than the gas-emitting appliances they are replacing," local officials said.
Meanwhile, as leftists in America force products consumers don't want in the name of climate change, China is carrying on unfazed by the alleged "climate crisis," approving last year the equivalent of two new coal plants per week. As Townhall columnist Paul Driessen has noted, in addition to China, Russia and India are also moving full steam ahead, "burning cheap coal to industrialize, lift their people out of poverty, and leave climate-obsessed Western nations in the economic and military dust."