Actions have consequences

Supposedly, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission is considering banning gas stoves.  The argument is that these stoves cause indoor pollution that lead to childhood asthma.  I don't know how strong the evidence is, or what improvements they expect if gas stoves are banned.

I use a gas stove in my kitchen- and so does about 35% of the country.  That's about 40 million US households.  A number of people prefer using gas instead of electricity because it controls the heat better.  Induction heat stoves work well, but are expensive and not all pots and pans can use them. Banning gas stoves would be a significant- and expensive- change.

Here are some questions that I have:

1)  If gas stoves should be banned because of indoor pollution, shouldn't gas heating also be banned for the same reason?

2)  Not only will gas stoves require buying new stoves, but also paying an electrician to install the electrical outlets required for these stove.  If this expense something the government who is banning the stove should pay for, or will they expense be passed on to the homeowner or landlord?

3)  Most electric stoves require 220VAC outlet.  Many kitchens using gas stoves do not have that outlet, and it will require an electrician to install a 220VAC outlet.  This is another expense, as well as a time sink.  

4)  The additional electric load from having people switching from gas to electrical will put additional burdens on the grid.  Is the intention to build more power plants to handle the additional burden?

5)  Many areas of the country deal with power outages (from storms or brownouts), and being able to cook food without relying on electricity is a lifesaver.  Banning gas stoves is an additional risk.

Do I think the US will actually ban gas stoves?  No.  I think they are floating this as a test balloon to test the reaction of the voters.  I don't think they are serious (though I've been proven wrong before)

Do I think it's a good idea?  I think it's a huge burden for a large part of the country, and something that will backfire badly if imposed without thinking through the consequences.  The US Consumer Product Safety Commission is going to need quite a bit of hard evidence before they will convince the voters this is a good idea.

I'm biased- I like my gas stove, and don't want to go through the expense of changing it.  but I could also handle the expense if it was required, and I suspect many people could not.  If you're going to make a move that affects this much of the country, you'd better be sure it's necessary.