Biden energy official tells GOP lawmakers don’t worry about gas stoves: No authority to ban

A top Department of Energy official in charge of overseeing the agency’s efficiency standards was in the hot seat Tuesday as House Republicans put gas stoves back on the front burner.

DOE Under Secretary for Science and Innovation Geraldine Richmond repeatedly told members of the House Oversight Committee that the Biden administration is neither seeking nor has the power to ban the popular natural gas cooking appliance.

“The Department of Energy is not proposing any ban on gas stoves. DOE is committed to consumer choice,” she testified. “The department does not have the authority to ban gas stoves. DOE cannot require, and is not proposing, that consumers replace those already installed in their homes.”

Ms. Richmond said DOE’s proposed efficiency rules, which the department estimates would render half of higher-end models out of compliance, are in line with the 1975 Energy Policy and Conservation Act and are part of routine efficiency evaluations made every six years.

Rep. Pat Fallon, the Texas Republican who chaired the hearing, described the proposed efficiency standards for gas stoves and other appliances such as dishwashers, refrigerators, water heaters, furnaces and air conditioners as “a tidal wave of regulatory burdens affecting Americans’ daily lives.” He said they were proposed “under the guise of improving energy efficiency.”

“The DOE, however, will argue that saving 12 cents per month — or $1.50 per year — is more than enough reason to reconfigure the entire gas stove industry. If that doesn’t seem like much, well, you can sleep easy knowing that getting rid of your gas stove is saving the planet from climate change,” Mr. Fallon said. “Give me a break. We all know that these rules are a solution in search of a problem.”

The draft rules are under a public comment period but are expected to be finalized next year. Industry manufacturers would have to begin complying three years later, likely in 2027. Gas stoves already in Americans’ homes by then — roughly 40% of whom use one — would not be affected. DOE estimates the average cost for manufacturers to bring their higher-end models into compliance would be $12 per stove.

Pennsylvania Rep. Scott Perry, chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, suggested the administration is gunning for a de facto ban by limiting consumer options and chastised its energy-saving ambition.

“I’m happy the DOE is out here making sure that we can all save money ’cause we’re too dumb to figure out how to do it ourselves,” he said.

The hearing was one of several that House Republicans have held since taking the majority that has focused on the administration’s handling of gas stoves, which Democratic lawmakers and green groups say are health and climate hazards. Blue states and cities already have or are seeking to ban natural gas access in new buildings.

Democratic Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri accused Republicans of “playing defense for Big Oil and Gas.”

“These pragmatic policies used to be bipartisan. Presidents Reagan, H.W. Bush and W. Bush all signed efficiency standards for various household appliances into law during their presidencies,” Ms. Bush said. “Today, however, the only regulations Republicans fight for are to restrict access to abortion and children’s books.”

The independent federal regulatory body Consumer Product Safety Commission first sparked the gas stove issue when a Senate-confirmed Biden nominee suggested the panel may ban the appliance over health concerns. His comments were later walked back, but the commission has since taken a procedural step to learn more about health hazards and potential solutions that could lead to further regulation.

A bipartisan amendment that would prohibit CPSC from banning gas stoves is expected to be part of a must-pass government funding bill later this year, likely frustrating some of the administration’s efforts.

Pressed by Colorado GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert, Ms. Richmond said the administration does not oversee CPSC and reemphasized that DOE lacks authority to ban any appliances.

“From mandating new electric vehicles and electric stove mandates, to promoting ESG extremism, to pushing radical Green New Deal policies, there’s one thing you can always count on this administration to do,” Mrs. Boebert said. “That’s putting the American people and our economy last.”

Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz of Florida, known for his sarcastic remarks in previous debates on the subject, criticized Republicans for not focusing on other issues like gun violence. He asked Ms. Richmond if he could receive a four-hour window for when DOE plans to confiscate his gas stove, to which she laughed and said the agency would not be coming.

“Anyone keeping score, any parent out there who has a kid, let me tell you the score. Gun violence hearings in the 188th Congress: zero. Gas stoves: 3,” Mr. Moskowitz said. “That’s all you need to know about what is happening in the 118th Congress.”