After repeatedly denying that it would formally ban natural gas-fired stoves, the Energy Department posted federal register In its last regulation targeting kitchen appliances.
Everyone from Congress to energy advocacy groups has criticized the new rule, which administration officials have long denied would be a ban.
But Tom Pyle, president of the American Energy Alliance, said it still received a “triple crown for bad regulation.”
“It is ineffective, unnecessary and possibly illegal,” Pyle said, acknowledging the administration had weakened the original 2023-draft policy.
Biden administration backs off from action on gas stoves after widespread protests
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)
“After facing heavy criticism for the move to ban gas stoves, the Biden-Harris administration accepted this rule, which they claim will reduce costs for families. Of course, what they don’t tell you is that their so-called savings is a mere 21 cents a year.”
Pyle said that if Democrats remain in power, the rule would be “merely a down payment” on future regulatory overreach that would attempt to control other mundane aspects of daily life, such as cooking.
“American consumers are perfectly capable of choosing the device that best suits their needs.”
However, the Department of Energy defended the regulation — including claims that it had been negligent in the matter.
The spokesperson said the rule posted in the Federal Register mirrors a regulation drafted earlier in the year, and that the final rule has support from groups such as the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers.
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said the Energy Department is “advancing decades-old efforts with industry to make sure our equipment works more efficiently and saves Americans money.”
“When you look beyond the misleading rhetoric, you will see that our Equipment Standard These actions are intended to spur innovation and increase energy efficiency, while not compromising the reliability and performance that the American people expect and rely on.”
However, lawmakers who have attempted to reduce “restrictions” or regulations on fossil fuel-powered home appliances and other devices are not convinced of the benefits of the new rule.
In 2023, Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., successfully drafted an amendment to the energy bill that would prevent Granholm’s department from enforcing the basic energy standard for cooktops.
“This stringent rule, if implemented, would eliminate 50-95% of today’s gas appliances,” Newhouse said at the time.
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President Biden/Stove (Getty Images)
“Gas appliances are at the heart of American homes. They power our stoves, furnaces, water heaters and fireplaces,” he said, describing natural gas as “affordable, reliable and safe.”
On Thursday, a Newhouse spokesman said the lawmaker’s efforts were a “leading factor” in repealing the original rule and amending it in its current form.
“While this new rule will still require strict federal oversight by Congress, it prevents states like California and Washington from enacting sweeping, radical regulations that are completely unfair to consumers and producers and will only pave the way for other states to follow,” the spokesperson said.
Rep. Kelly Armstrong, R-N.D., whose Gas Stove Protection and Freedom Act passed the House but has been stuck in the Senate for a year, said the new rule is “extremely disappointing and irrelevant.”
“Americans are concerned about the fentanyl crisis that is crippling communities, and many Americans are worried about putting food on the table for their families. Rather than consider the urgent needs of many Americans, the administration has chosen to prioritize attacking gas stoves to appease climate extremists,” Armstrong said, adding that this shows the administration wants to control every aspect of life.
Ryan Walker, vice president of Heritage Action for America, said the Energy Department is “villainizing” natural gas despite its affordable price and clean-burning properties.
“After insisting they had no plans to ban gas stoves, the Biden-Harris administration has pushed through its new rule that could wipe out hugely popular appliances,” Walker said. “The left only cares about virtue signaling and appeasing its extreme base, not hardworking Americans trying to make ends meet and put food on the table. The next conservative administration can and should reverse the Biden-Harris appliance crackdown,” he added.
Democrats who were vocally opposed to Republican efforts Blunt regulation Or anyone in favor of such rules responded to the news.
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Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Washington. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty)
Representative Frank Pallone Jr.“House Republicans are once again putting polluters above people,” the senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, D-N.J., said of 2023 efforts to block such regulation.
Pallone did not respond to a request for comment.
Neither did Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, D-Pa., who called first Cost concerns about keeping Americans away from natural gas is a “conspiracy theory designed to embroil Congress in culture wars that generate more heat than they shed light on the issues facing our country.”
The Philadelphia lawmaker said at the time the proposed rule would collectively save consumers $1.7 billion in 2023.
However, one longtime Democrat spoke out against the original 2023 draft of the rule — as Sen. Joe Manchin, I.W.V., said the federal government “has no right to tell American families how to cook their food.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report,
