by Michael Bustamante

The year has begun with a number of ominous signs that will likely produce growing consumer angst over the long haul. Rising inflation, increased prices for everyday goods like baby formula and groceries, shortages of everyday items like eggs, an increasingly unreliable airline system, and a warning of increasing heating costs are but a few of the challenges that have cropped up.

Then there was the announcement by Commissioner Richard Trumpka Jr., that the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) intended to consider a ban on gas ranges.

Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed, albeit after significant and well-deserved criticism from politicians and consumers alike. Bowing to significant pressure, CPSC head, Alexander Hoehn-Saric, said the Commission did not intend to ban gas stoves. He added that the Commission was researching emissions from the appliances and looking for ways to reduce related indoor air quality hazards. Fair enough. But the consumer onslaught is far from over.

Last year, a number of cities including Los Angeles, New York and Seattle moved to enact bans on natural gas hookups in new homes and buildings as a way to slow climate change. States like California are now moving to ban petroleum and natural gas while boosting electricity, regardless of obvious cost and reliability concerns. California Governor Gavin Newsom announced last year the state would require 100 percent of all new car sales in California be zero-emission vehicles by 2035.

Consumers, particularly Latino and African Americans, have had to grapple with significant challenges during the past decade, particularly when it comes to family economics because of actions and edicts by federal, state and local government agencies. The near-term impact of banning gas ranges is but one of a number of issues. Elite environmentalists have stridently argued for a total ban on any gas appliances – irrespective of cost, availability or convenience. Consumers know that banning natural gas and eliminating consumer choice is a misguided and expensive solution. California electrical bills are already 8 percent higher than the national average.

Outright bans, whether natural gas or vehicle fuel, ignores the real-life impact to consumers, especially those at the bottom end of the economic ladder. The recently approved City of Los Angeles’ natural gas hook-up ban applied only to new buildings. It took all of two days following the Ordinance’s passage for the same environmental groups to call for an outright ban on all gas hookups, including existing structures. The same groups have called for retrofitting gas water heaters, furnaces and anything run on natural gas – all with barely any acknowledgment or understanding of the significant costs to consumers.

Some jurisdictions offer small, insignificant rebates hoping to entice consumers to switch. These rebates are miniscule compared to the actual, upfront costs to families not to mention upgrading electrical amperage to accommodate new furnaces, ranges or electric vehicles costs thousands. Solar is no different now that pressure is mounting to remove solar subsidies.

At some point, economic pressures outweigh climate desires, especially those foisted upon consumers by politicians or regulators. Yes, attention must be paid to environmental improvements but cost effectiveness must always be weighed in these calculations. Crippling consumers and driving families out-of-state in the name of “good” environmental policy defeats the purpose of these policies in the first place.

Banning the option to heat your house, fuel your car or cook a meal on a gas range is not progress. The solution resides somewhere between elitism and ignoring the facts. That’s where politicians and regulators ought to look. Otherwise, the costs associated with retrofitting a gas stove to an electric one will overtake families and force them to cook outside on an open fire. Oh, wait, that was banned too by the same politicians and regulators.

Michael Bustamante is president and founder of the Latino Consumer Federation, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement and empowerment of the Latino community and its growing consumer base.