ALBANY, New York (May 6, 2023) — The New York Legislature passed a law banning the use of natural gas appliances including gas stoves and furnaces in new homes and new apartment buildings on Tuesday, May 2 as part of the state’s budget bill. The new law prohibiting the installation of fossil-fuel equipment in seven story buildings or less will take effect in 2026, and for larger buildings starting in 2029 – which means that all-electric heating and cooking will be required in these new buildings. This new law also includes gas stoves, furnaces, and propane heating. Exempt buildings include hospitals and industrial buildings such as restaurants and stores not supported by the electrical grid. New York State Governor Kathy Hochul and fellow Democrats in both chambers of the state Legislature have endorsed proposals to prohibit fossil fuel furnaces, clothes dryers, water heaters, and gas stoves in most new construction.

“Just like we had to, a long time ago, transition from coal as your energy source, we do have to transition. There are clean energy alternatives,” said Gov. Hochul in an interview with Fox 5 New York TV station on Wednesday. According to supporters, the new law will help the state in meeting its goals under the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, passed in 2019 to cut greenhouse-gas emissions by 40% by 2030 and 85% by 2050. The law also requires the state to utilize carbon-free sources for electricity like wind and solar by 2040. “All eyes are on us and a lot of other states are looking at what New York does,” said Pat McClellan, policy director at the New York League of Conservation Voters. “If we prove it can be done and we have the political will to do this, it’s going to open the floodgates for other states to take action.”

The future of gas stoves became controversial in early January, when a news report said that the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission was considering a ban due to health concerns on indoor air which according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is about two to five times more polluted than outdoor air. Natural gas stoves release carbon monoxide, formaldehyde “formalin”, and nitrogen dioxide, when inhaled, can cause dizziness, nausea, vomiting, chest pain, confusion, and even death. Republicans across the country and some centrist Democrats have expressed anger regarding the proposal to ban the beloved way of cooking. In Florida, Republican Governor Ron DeSantis rallied lawmakers to approve a tax exemption for gas stoves and declared federal officials aren’t “taking our gas stoves away from us.”