Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida and a likely 2024 candidate for president, delivered on an earlier promise Wednesday when he said new gas stoves — in fact, all gas appliances — should be exempt from his state’s sales tax.
DeSantis rolled out the first budget of his second term, and among the proposed breaks for taxpayers is a $7 million permanent exemption on appliances fueled by combustible gas, such as natural gas
NG00,
-6.86%,
propane, butane, liquefied petroleum gas and syngas.
The move comes as the debate over gas stoves has heated up in recent weeks. In an interview with Bloomberg in early January, an official from the Consumer Product Safety Commission talked about the possibility of a ban on the sale of gas stoves, which some studies have found produce emissions that contribute to climate change and also pose health risks inside the home.
The official, Richard Trumka Jr., later tweeted: “To be clear, CPSC isn’t coming for anyone’s gas stoves. Regulations apply to new products. For Americans who CHOOSE to switch from gas to electric, there is support available — Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act, which includes a $840 rebate.” Read more about the IRA.
Now read: Want a rebate to upgrade home electric or swap to solar? There’s good news and bad news
The CPSC later walked back its comments, but the agency also said it would conduct more research this year.
Also read: Gas-stove ban: As U.S. moves closer to action, cooks want to know, ‘What’s the real risk?’
And: Can you cook in a wok without a gas stove? Asian Americans are having a heated debate.
California already prohibits the installation of gas appliances in new residential and commercial construction, while New York City will impose a similar ban beginning next year. Chicago’s mayor is proposing to do the same.
A host of Republicans — along with some Democrats from fossil-fuel-producing states, including Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia — were inflamed at the prospect of a gas-stove ban, and many pointed fingers at the Biden administration.
The president’s spokeswoman had to clarify that the CPSC is an independent body and that Biden does not back a total ban on gas stoves. It’s sensitive territory, however, for a president who has made climate change a key priority and who could face DeSantis in the contest for the White House next year.
Read: Clean-energy investing is poised to top the money backing oil and gas after hitting a record $1 trillion
Over one-third of U.S. households — more than 40 million homes — cook with gas. That means that almost two-thirds of households already rely on electric stoves and ovens. And Florida has the lowest rate of gas-stove use in the country, tied with Maine at just 8% of all stoves, according to Energy Information Administration data.
For DeSantis, “it’s just the principle of it.”
“No tax permanently on gas stoves,” he said Wednesday. “They want your gas stove and we’re not going to let that happen.”
