Sen. Joe Manchin called out for flip-flop on natural gas

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell whacked Sen. Joe Manchin III on Tuesday for what the Kentucky Republican described as a flip-flop by the conservative West Virginia Democrat on gas stoves.

Mr. McConnell said Mr. Manchin, who is up for reelection next year and is one of the most vulnerable Senate Democrats, “changed his tune” by authoring a bipartisan measure blocking the Biden administration from banning the popular cooking appliance. Mr. Manchin years ago dismissed a GOP-led endeavor to prevent natural gas bans in new construction, which would have protected stoves.

“It appears that our colleague has since changed his tune,” Mr. McConnell said on the Senate floor. “This time around, he sponsored the amendment blocking the radical legislation he couldn’t imagine just two years ago.”

Mr. Manchin, who chairs the Senate Energy Committee, rebuffed a proposal in 2021 from the panel’s top Republican, Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming, to bar the federal government from banning natural gas in new residential and commercial buildings. He argued at the time that such a policy from Congress was not necessary because he did not believe natural gas bans would occur.

Since then, the state of New York and dozens of cities across the country have imposed such restrictions on natural gas.

Mr. Manchin and GOP Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas have introduced legislation that would block Consumer Product Safety Commission from banning gas stoves. It is expected to be attached to a must-pass spending bill this year.

“As our colleagues continue to make headway on the regular order appropriations, I’m glad this commonsense measure has earned bipartisan support,” Mr. McConnell said. “But it really begs the question: wouldn’t working families and small businesses be better off if Washington Democrats would just stand up to the radical climate regulations in the first place?”

The timing of Mr. McConnell’s attention toward Mr. Manchin was purely political, a Democratic aide told The Washington Times. The second-quarter fundraising data showed Senate Republicans’ leading candidate in the West Virginia race, Gov. Jim Justice, trailed the Democratic incumbent. 

Despite refusing to say whether he’ll seek reelection, Mr. Manchin raked in nearly $1.3 million from April through June compared to Mr. Justice’s less than $1 million.

CPSC denies it is considering a gas stove ban but has taken a procedural step that could lead to new regulation.

The Department of Energy reiterated to Republican lawmakers Tuesday that it is charging ahead with proposed efficiency rules that would render half of the higher-end models out of compliance but that the administration has neither the intention nor the authority to ban the appliance used by 40% of U.S. households.