Restaurant owner sounds the alarm on proposed gas stove ban: 'This will destroy our industry'
Stratis Morfogen has been in the restaurant business for 35 years
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Stratis Morfogen, a New York restauranteur, said he's faced a lot of challenges in the restaurant industry coming back from COVID, but the "crème de la crème" is a proposed ban on gas stoves.
"For people that don't understand the restaurant industry, for 35 years, we've been attacked by everybody. We had organized crime in our industry, in the 70s, 80s, 90s and in the 2000s. We had corrupt Wall Street. And for the last three years, we've had government overreach," he said Tuesday on "Tucker Carlson Tonight."
"They want to make us, for new restaurant construction, use electric stoves. So let me explain it to you. We lose 40% productivity by using electric," Morfogen said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"If they [the government] ever inquired with small business owners, I'll give them three pieces of advice: Get a stronger filtration system, get a hood system that works and basically train your staff on how to maintain it."
Stove. Cook stove. Modern kitchen stove with blue flames burning (iStock)
The restaurant owner added if the proposed ban does, in fact, go into effect, it will "destroy our industry."
Richard Trumka Jr., commissioner for the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, told Bloomberg they are considering banning gas stoves due to concerns about harmful inside pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide being released into the air.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}TWITTER BLASTS NEWS BIDEN ADMIN MIGHT BAN GAS STOVES: PRY ‘FROM MY COLD DEAD HANDS’
"This is a hidden hazard," Trumka Jr. said. "Any option is on the table. Products that can’t be made safe can be banned."
The Institute for Policy Integrity released a report that found gas stoves circulate dangerous pollutants that often exceed the levels recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency and the World Health Organization.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}If you suffer from asthma, you may be wondering: How could the novel coronavirus, known as COVID-19, affect you differently? (iStock)
They also reportedly contribute to childhood asthma and can affect brain development.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul also proposed a ban on natural gas heating and appliances in new buildings, but Morfogen said he would not comply with the order.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"With electric stoves, first of all, our bills will go six times higher. And then on top of that, our productivity drops. This isn't just going to hurt the restaurant hospitality industry. It's going to hurt real estate development," he told host Tucker Carlson.
"You remember casinos, shopping malls, airports, residential towers, office buildings. They depend on us for the content. And if we don't develop the content for these big, you know - this is our industry - for these big developers. Well, guess what? This whole thing will collapse."