Two House Energy and Commerce Committee Republicans announced on March 20 they are introducing legislation to prevent the Biden administration from banning gas stoves.
The legislation was introduced by Reps. Kelly Armstrong (R-N.D.) and Debbie Lesko, (R-Ariz.) in response to the Biden administration’s two-pronged push to ban gas stoves, and might go to the House floor for a vote later this year.
Lesko introduced H.R. 1640, also known as the Save Our Gas Stoves Act, while Armstrong introduced H.R. 1615, the Gas Stove Protection and Freedom Act. Both bills are currently in committee.
The pieces of legislation would prohibit the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) from using federal funding to implement any regulation that would classify gas stoves as a prohibited dangerous product under current law.
The bills also prohibit the CPSC from enforcing any consumer product safety standards that would prohibit the use of gas stoves or impose regulations that would raise gas stove prices.
In a press release announcing the legislation, Armstrong emphasized his frustration with the administration’s attempts to ban the stoves.
“Inflation is hurting everyone. We have a crisis at our Southern Border. North Dakotans are worried about being able to provide for their families. What is the Biden administration focused on? Controlling the kind of stove Americans use,” Armstrong said.
“This is further incompetence from an administration that seems more interested in dictating every aspect of our lives than solving real problems. Our bill makes it clear that Americans should decide if a gas stove is right for their families, not the federal government.”
Lesko also spoke to the proposed ban: “The Biden Administration’s extreme proposed regulation that will ban nearly every gas stove on the market is just another example of out-of-touch bureaucrats trying to control Americans’ everyday lives.”
A member of the CPSC stated in January that a ban on gas stoves was possible due to the health concerns they bring to users.
After a public uproar and derision, the CPSC backed down, but soon after, the Department of Energy proposed an energy-efficiency requirement that officials admit is so strict that 96 percent of the gas stoves currently in use would not pass muster.
