California is Trying to End Outdoor Grilling. Is Montana Next?

Tis the season when people start unpacking their camping gear and begin planning this year's camping spots. My favorite part of camping is cooking. In a past life, I must have been an old "cookie" on the chuckwagon. Because I am never far from the fire and always cooking up something.

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An essential camp cooking item is disappearing from California. The state has now made it illegal to sell the small propane canisters you buy to power your campstoves and heaters.

According to Cheap RV Living

As part of wide-ranging update and expansion of its recycling and waste management regulations, California SB1256 has banned the sale of single-use propane cylinders in the state, effective January 1, 2028.

I can see how the disposable canisters can begin to pile up over the course of a season. But it is not like we can package the propane gas in a paper cup. So what is a person supposed to do? As a Montana camping enthusiast, I cannot imagine not having my trusty ol'Coleman and my buddy heater. Both of which run off of these soon-to-be illegal canisters.

States like New York are banning gas stoves in new home builds. California is banning gas canisters. What other states will soon follow? Could Montana eventually pass a law banning gas grills? Just imagine the sea of Dads marching with their spatulas and "Kiss the Chef" aprons to protest at the Capitol in Helena.

If California lawmakers continue to push for more bans on gas and outdoor cooking, they could inevitably eliminate the grill. Giving even more Californians a reason to move away.