Should Congress amend or prohibit enforcing energy conservation standards for gas stoves?
This bill intends to prohibit the Secretary of Energy from enforcing energy conservation standards related to gas stoves as proposed in the Department of Energy rule titled "Energy Conservation Program: Energy Conservation Standards for Consumer Conventional Cooking Products." Sponsor: Rep. Debbie Lasko (Republican, Arizona, District 8)
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Opponents say
• "This proposed rule is not a ban on gas stoves. We are regulating indoor air pollution. The climate crisis is happening all around us, and Republican inaction is costing us lives. As lawmakers, we have a moral obligation to prioritize the health and well-being of every person across our country. I represent a community where the threat of climate pollution comes from both inside and outside our homes… St. Louis ranks among the highest across our country for rates of asthma, with rates significantly higher for black residents than white residents. I can only imagine the number of my constituents who are unknowingly being poisoned by their gas stove in the state that it is, without this proposed rule in effect - especially young children, our elders, and people with disabilities who are disproportionately at risk for contracting respiratory illnesses…Research proves that improving the energy efficiency of gas stoves and switching to electric stoves completely will save lives, will save money, and will save our environment. The Department of Energy estimates that the updated standards to improve gas stove energy efficiency will save consumers at least 100 million dollars, provide climate benefits of 67 million dollars, and health benefits of 65 million dollars each year. Source: Rep. Cori Bush (Democrat, Missouri, District 1)
• "It is my hope that my Republican colleagues will redirect their focus to the well-being of American people, rather than politicizing kitchen appliances. Because you know what they are banning? Abortions. You know what they are banning? Books. You know what they won’t ban? Assault weapons. But we are sitting up here talking about a ban on gas stoves. But I should be excited. Because if my colleagues are interested in an appliance that is causing harm to children’s lives, perhaps they will get the courage to have a hearing about banning assault weapons, which are actually killing people every single day. So yes, I agree: this is dangerous and dumb. We have much better things to focus our time on." Source: Rep. Shontel Brown (Democrat, Ohio, District 11)
Proponents say
• "100 percent of the currently available free-standing gas stoves and 96 percent of gas cooktops will not meet the new standards proposed by the Biden Administration’s Department of Energy. This is unacceptable. I am grateful for my colleagues’ support on this important legislation to block the Department of Energy’s extreme attack on consumer choice, and I expect the bill to come up for a vote on the Floor of the U.S. House of Representatives soon." Source: Rep. Debbie Lasko (Republican, Arizona, District 8)
• "We have a legislative responsibility in the role of governing this nation to make decisions about what's in the best interest of our nation, our states, and ultimately our constituents. This is the wrong approach from the Department of Energy which at a time when we have so many other needs to address, like advanced nuclear technology, to maybe lessen our dependence on some fossil fuel generation - we're focusing on household appliances. I want to just put this fact out there: nearly 187 million Americans use natural gas because it's more affordable and reliable. That's not to leave out the future homeowners who are building a house and designing their appliances and want to have choices to make for the best interest of them and their family; the most affordable, the most reliable, and most efficient to cook the meals that they provide for their families. And I'm not going to leave out the thousands upon thousands of restaurants across this country that prepare our meals every day on gas stoves, gas cooktops. And as a small business owner in the past, I can tell you these restaurants make business decisions from a cost-effectiveness standpoint, a long-term utility bill standpoint, and the bottom line. And they choose natural gas." Source: Rep. Jeff Duncan (Republican, South Carolina, District 3)
