The House on June 14 passed another piece of gas stove legislation.
Voting in favor of the Save Our Stoves Act—a bill that would block the Department of Energy’s proposed efficiency rule on gas stoves and similar appliances—were 249 representatives, while 181 went against the measure.
The legislation passed just one day after the House voted to adopt the Gas Stove Freedom and Protection Act.
That aims to prevent possible moves by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to ban gas stoves as hazardous products, or significantly increase the appliances’ prices.
The June 13 bill passed 248–180. The totals from both measures demonstrate that more than a few Democrats crossed the aisle in support of attempts to shield the appliances.
Lawmakers who spoke with The Epoch Times explained their stances on the issue.
“I’m not sure what the Democrats’ problems with gas stoves are,” said Rep. Kevin Hern (R-Okla.) in a June 14 interview with The Epoch Times.
“They [Republicans] are conjuring a straw man as opposed to tackling issues that are affecting people day in, day out,” said Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.) in comments to The Epoch Times on June 14.
“I have four kids, so I want to make sure that any appliance I’m putting in my house is safe,” said Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.) in June 14 comments to The Epoch Times.
Votes on the two gas stove bills and the REINS Act, a measure intended to bring the administrative state under greater Congressional authority, were initially expected last week.
The conservative Freedom Caucus scuttled that effort as a protest against House Republican leadership’s debt ceiling deal with Democrats.
“We’re frustrated in the way this place is operating,” Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) told reporters at the time.
The REINS Act passed earlier on June 14.
Gas Stove Worries
Americans’ concerns about a gas stove ban increased in January after a CPSC commissioner suggested such a move could be in the offing.
“This is a hidden hazard. Any option is on the table. Products that can’t be made safe can be banned,” Commissioner Richard Trumka Jr. told Bloomberg News.
Trumka made that statement soon after the publication of a peer-reviewed study on childhood asthma and gas stoves—one that the natural gas industry and others swiftly criticized.
The American Gas Association on Jan. 10 reacted negatively to the investigation, saying it was “not substantiated by sound science.”
They pointed out that it did not look into the appliances in a direct manner, as it depended on an evaluation of population-level trends rather than anything like laboratory testing. It also ran contrary to a large previous study that employed a similar methodology.
CPSC Chair Alexander Hoehn-Saric quickly sought to shut down talk of a prohibition on gas stoves.
“I am not looking to ban gas stoves and the CPSC has no proceeding to do so,” he said a few days later.
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm was also among those who attempted to curtail rumors of gas stove bans based on Trumka’s remarks.
In late January, Granholm said the notion of a gas stove ban was “so ridiculous” and “just not true.”
Yet, an internal memorandum penned by Trumka late last year shows that his concerns run deeper than some off-the-cuff remarks to a reporter.
In that document, he stated that a gas stove ban in homes could be advanced this fiscal year based on the amount and strength of evidence CPSC had gathered regarding gas stoves’ supposed risks to human health.
The memorandum can be viewed here. The Epoch Times has reviewed it.
During the June 13 House debate over the Gas Stove Freedom and Protection Act, Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) dismissed worries about Trumka’s widely publicized comments.
Pallone said the commissioner “doesn’t have the power to effectuate” a ban “because he’s only one person.”
Department of Energy Proposal
The bill passed on June 14 targets a Department of Energy proposal issued earlier this year. It outlines energy conservation standards for gas stoves.
“The White House wants to limit your ability to purchase and use gas stoves,” Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) said during a June 5 House Rules Committee hearing.
He stressed that DoE’s own assessment is that its efficiency proposal would eliminate roughly half of the gas cooking appliances now available in the American marketplace.
“My constituents are right to worry,” he added.
During a March 23 hearing, Granholm acknowledged her agency’s proposal would have far-reaching effects on gas stoves—yet, in her wording, the proverbial glass was still half full.
“Half of the gas stoves that are on the market right now wouldn’t even be impacted,” she said.
She told lawmakers then that the proposal was timed to comply with a September 2022 consent decree between the department and various environmental groups, including the Sierra Club, requiring it to decide whether it will act on gas stoves by Jan. 31, 2024.
The consent decree followed a years-long battle over gas stove regulations spanning the Obama, Trump, and Biden administrations.
From The Epoch Times
