DeSantis trolls with 'tax-free gas stove' proposal — there's just one big problem with that - Raw Story - Celebrating 18 Years of Independent Journalism
By: Matthew Chapman
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced a plan to protect the right to own a gas stove in his state, including a plan to exempt them from sales taxes, reported Fox News on Wednesday — and he made clear that he is staking this as a culture war fight against the Biden administration.
"I think it needs to be done, no tax permanently on gas stoves," he said in his address unveiling his budget proposal. "They want your gas stove, and we're not going to let that happen."
There's just one problem with that: very few Florida homes use gas stoves at all.
In fact, according to the Energy Information Administration, 92 percent of Florida households use electric or induction stoves — the highest percent of any state in America. In general, gas stoves and appliances are more common in states with older housing stock, like California, New York, and Illinois — nationwide, 68 percent of households use some form of electric stove.
Not only that, many homes in Florida do not have natural gas utilities at all; fewer than 5 percent of homes in Florida use natural gas even for primary residential heating, compared to roughly 64 percent of homes in California and 34 percent of homes in Texas.
DeSantis even acknowledged this in his speech, saying he wants the tax exemption even if it won't be of any help to most Floridians because "it's just the principle."
Republican lawmakers and media erupted into a furor after a recent announcement by the Consumer Product Safety Commission that they would be investigating gas stoves, following studies that suggested indoor pollution from burning gas might be linked to childhood asthma, cancer, and a variety of other health problems.
An agency commissioner, Richard Trumka Jr., said of the investigation, "Products that can't be made safe can be banned," sparking a firestorm of speculation the Biden administration might ban gas stoves altogether.
CPSC chairman Alexander Hoehn-Saric later clarified an outright ban of gas stoves is not on the table, and that the agency is instead considering "voluntary safety standards" to help manufacturers reduce their risk to consumers.
On Wednesday, Bloomberg reported that another federal agency, the U.S. Energy Department, was considering new regulations for stoves.
Even before this controversy, DeSantis has championed laws favorable to the oil and gas industry over municipalities looking to move away from fossil fuels. In 2021, he signed legislation that bans city governments from restricting the types of energy utilities that operate in them — something several municipalities like Miami had been considering as a climate mitigation measure.
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You can't make this shit up...
I can see people in Florida now, some republicans cheering him on all the while using an electric stove....
Of all the things in the state to worry about, it is better to be a complete dick. It is what the republicans want.
it's been awhile since my utility infrastructure building days, but I believe gas lines need to exceed 7 feet in depth by code. digging down 7 feet in that sand bar of a state probably only gets you a hole filled with water.
Let's make something people don't buy in this state tax free.....
Fucking morons.
If this is the gop answer for a leader, they are in a rabbit hole.
I'm in favor of giving every trumpster a free gas stove and a DIY installation kit...
The GOP Populist platform is "stick to the Libs"
Make up a problem, claim it is a big problem, write legislation for said problem, all when no problem actually exists.
And the republicans cheer....
And if you criticize them in any way, you must be a Lefty.
If he really wants to own the libs he'll make it a felony to own an electric stove. That'll show em. Former Trumpies go wild !!! DEE-SAN-TIS !!!! DEE-SAN-TIS !!!
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that burning an unvented gas burner inside your home is going to produce emissions. These emissions include carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides which are really quite poisonous. I love my gas stove though. For a while I had a small inductive electric burner and I really liked it a lot but it was cheaply made and quit working a few years ago. A really nice inductive range is really expensive so for now I just make sure I run the hood fan, at least on low, anytime the stove is burning.
The house I am in now was built in like 1968. I checked out the stove vent, I was going to replace it and I found they had cut off the vent that was connected to the outside and replaced it with one that just shoots the air right back into the room....
Mine is vented into the cabinet above the hood. The dumbest thing I've ever seen. We are planning to a total kitchen remodel this summer.
I have been wanting to do that for a while. Cabinets are outrageous though.
One thing I decided I am going to do is get cabinets that go all the way up to the ceiling instead of leaving a gap up top.
Yeah, lots of vents do that. They have grease filters on them but nothing that even comes close to filtering CO or NOX.
That is what I thought. Most of Florida is already all electric. Anything to "Own The Libs". Right?
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