Climate change is here, but his priority is defending kitchen appliances.
Key Points
- New York’s all-electric law for new construction starts in 2026.
- Rep. Langworthy (R-NY23) claims Gov.Hochul will ban gas stoves, but that’s not true.
- Langworthy says that gas stoves “save lives,” but using stoves for heat causes carbon monoxide poisoning.
- Langworthy supports the fossil fuel industry, which is partly responsible for global warming.
- Langworthy introduced the Energy Choice Act to prevent restrictions on the use of gas.
Obstructing Progress
At the dawn of the automobile age, entrenched interests fought to preserve the horse-and-buggy. Cars, they claimed, were dangerous and unreliable. In Britain, lawmakers even passed the “Red Flag Act,” requiring a man to walk in front of automobiles waving a red warning flag [1]. Vermont enacted a similar “red flag” law in 1894, repealed in 1896 [13], [14]. Defenders of the status quo could not envision a future beyond the clip-clop of hooves.
Instead of cars, today’s battle centers on gas stoves. Rep. Nicholas Langworthy (R-NY-23) is a defender of gas stoves. He condemns New York’s all-electric in new construction law as an attack on families [2].
Langworthy isn’t helping his constituents adapt to new technologies. He’s the man with the red flag obstructing progress.
New York’s All-Electric Law for New Construction
The law (actually a provision in a larger bill) that Langworthy criticizes is not what he says.
In 2023, Governor Kathy Hochul and the Democratic-led legislature enacted the nation’s first statewide mandate for all-electric in most new residential buildings [2]. The implementation is phased: 2026 for buildings under seven stories and 2029 for taller ones [3].
Hochul has been clear. No one has to give up their gas stoves. She said, “Everybody who has a gas stove, enjoy it. Keep your gas stove. Nobody’s touching your gas stoves!” [2]. Restaurants, hospitals, laundromats, and other large facilities are exempt.
The law targets buildings. Buildings produce roughly one-third of New York’s greenhouse gas emissions. By requiring electric stoves and HVAC in new construction, the state ensures that new buildings won’t be locked into using fossil fuels for decades [9].
“Everybody who has a gas stove, enjoy it. Keep your gas stove. Nobody’s touching your gas stoves!”
Langworthy’s Bill
When Governor Hochul signed the law, Langworthy quickly launched partisan attacks against her. He claimed the measure would leave New Yorkers defenseless in the next big storm. “Gas stoves and gas fireplaces literally save lives like ours in Upstate New York,” he stated, referring to the December 2022 blizzard that killed 40 people across Erie County [4].
Langworthy is wrong. According to the CDC and EPA, using stoves for heat risks carbon monoxide poisoning and death [5], [6]. During the blizzard, doctors in Buffalo urged residents not to use stoves for heat [17]. They warned it could be deadly. In fact, officials reported multiple cases of carbon monoxide poisoning [15], [16], [17]. Far from saving lives as Langworthy claimed, misusing gas stoves can kill people.
By defending gas stoves, Langworthy isn’t protecting families. He’s defending fossil fuels. The gas stoves he claims “save lives” are the same ones that increase atmospheric CO₂, raise global temperatures, and fuel extreme weather events, such as the Blizzard of 2022 that Langworthy talks about.
Langworthy took his support for gas nationwide. On June 4, 2025, he introduced H.R. 3699, the Energy Choice Act [7]. His bill would prevent states and cities from restricting different types of energy – oil, natural gas, propane. In other words, Langworthy’s bill would protect natural gas producers from progressive policies, such as New York’s all-electric law for new construction. In his press release, Langworthy said, “People deserve the freedom to choose energy that is affordable, reliable, and proven…” [8]. He doesn’t mention carbon monoxide poisoning or global warming.
“Gas stoves/cooking release over 25 million tons of CO₂ each year, and stoves can leak methane."
The Science
Gas stoves are part of a bigger problem. Natural gas is a fossil fuel, and burning fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Gas stoves/cooking release over 25 million tons of carbon dioxide each year, contributing to the buildup of heat-trapping gases [24]. Even when gas stoves are off, they leak methane, and methane traps 80 times more heat than carbon dioxide [25]. CO₂ and methane both fuel global warming, which leads to extreme weather. As global warming intensifies, scientists warn that the Great Lakes will become increasingly susceptible to severe thunderstorms, heavy snowfall, and even tornadoes, such as the recent tornado in Buffalo [18], [19], [20].
Gas stoves also make our kids sick. A 2013 study reported that asthma increased by 42% for children living in homes with gas stoves compared to those with electric stoves [11]. A 2022 study found that 12.7% of U.S. childhood asthma cases—about 650,000 children—are linked to gas stoves [10]. Earlier research from the EPA and Duke University showed that children exposed to nitrogen dioxide levels similar to those from gas stoves had a 20% higher risk of respiratory illness [12].
Langworthy’s Constituent Email
On August 27, 2025, Rep. Langworthy emailed his constituents to rail against New York’s all-electric construction law, calling it “un-American.” This from the man who voted to take away health insurance and food assistance from millions of Americans.
His message ignored the well-documented damage that gas and propane cause to public health and the climate. He boasted about support from Senator Jim Justice, a notorious coal baron who made his fortune in the fossil fuel industry and was once branded the nation’s worst mine safety violator. In Western New York, freedom should mean safe homes and a livable environment. It’s “un-American” to pump more CO₂ into the atmosphere and leave our children and grandchildren to pay the price.
Summary
Rep. Langworthy isn’t fighting for your kitchen. He’s fighting for fossil fuels. New York moved forward with clean energy and the all-electric in new construction law. But Langworthy grabbed a gas stove and a red flag, determined to keep us stuck in the fossil-fuel past while the planet cooks.
References
- UK Parliament archives on the “Red Flag Act” (Locomotive Acts).
- CBS News, May 3, 2023: coverage of New York’s all-electric requirement and Hochul’s remarks.
- Times Union, July 25, 2025: Building Code Council implementation timeline for the all-electric rules.
- WENY, June 2025: Langworthy quote that “gas stoves and gas fireplaces literally save lives.”
- CDC: Carbon monoxide poisoning guidance—do not use gas stoves for heat.
- EPA: Public guidance on carbon monoxide and indoor combustion safety.
- Congress.gov: H.R. 3699, the Energy Choice Act (bill text and docket).
- Office of Rep. Nicholas Langworthy, press release (June 2025) on the Energy Choice Act.
- New York State Assembly explainer on all-electric new construction (law scope and exemptions).
- International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (2022): 12.7% of U.S. childhood asthma attributable to gas stoves.
- Environmental Health Perspectives (2013): meta-analysis linking gas cooking to 42% higher risk of asthma symptoms in children.
- EPA/Duke University (1992) meta-analysis: nitrogen dioxide exposure comparable to gas stove levels associated with ~20% higher risk of childhood respiratory illness.
- “Red flag traffic laws”—U.S. Vermont 1894 analogue (primary summary with statute excerpt).
- Open University Law School, “The Red Flag Act” (notes Vermont passed a similar law in 1894, repealed two years later).
- WKBW (Dec. 25, 2022): “One dead and another hospitalized due to carbon monoxide poisoning” during the Blizzard of ’22.
- 6ABC (Dec. 28, 2022): CO fatality in Lockport tied to a snow-blocked furnace vent; broader blizzard toll context.
- Erie County, NY public advisories (Dec. 24, 2022): “Do NOT use your gas stove/oven as a source of heat.”
- GLISA, Extreme Precipitation (Great Lakes): observed and projected increases.
- GLISA, Climate Hazards in the Great Lakes (2023): warmer temps and added moisture increase potential for severe weather, including tornadoes.
- EPA, Climate Change Indicators—Heavy Precipitation: heavier rain and snow with warming atmosphere.
- Rep. Langworthy press release (Feb. 3, 2023): “Governor Hochul’s proposed ban on gas stoves…”
- Rep. Langworthy press release (June 14, 2023): “Langworthy Votes to Block Gas Stove Bans.”
- Rep. Langworthy Facebook video (June 15, 2023): “The legislation to end the use of gas appliances signed by Governor Kathy Hochul…”
- RMI, “Gas Stoves: Health and Air Pollution” (national CO₂ estimate from gas cooking).
- Stanford/Environmental Science & Technology (2022): methane leaks from residential gas stoves, including when off.
