Sen. Steve Daines, a Republican from Montana, warned Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm in a letter this week that new rules being proposed by her department could outlaw up to 96% of the gas-powered stoves presently sold in the United States, Fox News informed.
In the letter delivered on Wednesday, Daines pointed out that the Department of Energy (DOE) itself acknowledges that only 4% of the current market share for gas stoves would satisfy the strict standards governing the efficiency levels of gas stoves, effectively outlawing the vast majority of products on the market. On February 1, the DOE released the draft regulation, shortly after the Biden administration came under fire for appearing to press forward with a gas stove ban.
Daines responded to Granholm that the Department explicitly stated in the Proposed Rule that only 4% of the current market share satisfies the excessively high new proposed requirement.
This indicates that 96% of the current gas cooking tops would be prohibited from further manufacture and sale, according to the Department’s own study provided in the Proposed Regulation.
He continued, “This obviously goes against the position of President Biden as stated in the hearing by an Assistant Secretary of the Department that issued the rule.
In response to inquiries from Daines on February 16, Andrew Light, the DOE’s assistant secretary of energy for international affairs, stated that President Biden was not in favor of outlawing gas stoves.
In his letter, the Montana lawmaker noted that Light’s remarks appeared to conflict with the suggestion made by the agency itself.
He added that, in a “strange coincidence,” the DOE released new data right after the hearing with Light that appeared to contradict material in the proposed rule from February 1.
Daines asked the DOE to brief lawmakers and staff on the effects of the gas stove regulation before it was finalized as part of his letter’s request.
Daines’ worries came after a member of the obscure Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) who was appointed by Biden made news when he told Bloomberg in early January that a ban on gas stoves was “on the table” due to the product’s alleged negative effects on health.
After receiving harsh criticism from business organizations and Republican congressmen, the White House eventually declared it would not support a ban on gas stoves. Granholm referred to the prohibition as “ridiculous.”
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