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Will Gas Stoves be a Casualty of Biden’s War on American Energy?

By Congressman Darrell Issa (CA-48)

“We need to be talking about regulating gas stoves, whether that’s drastically improving emissions or banning gas stoves entirely. And I think we ought to keep that possibility of a ban in mind because it’s a powerful tool in our tool belt, and it’s a real possibility here.”

A speech by a climate activist calling for an even more extreme version of the Green New Deal? No, this is the public declaration of Richard Trumka Jr., President Biden’s appointed Commissioner of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

But Trumka goes further. He called gas stoves “a hidden hazard,” adding that, “Any option is on the table. Products that can’t be made safe can be banned.”

A threat that specific—and from a government regulator with that kind of power—was met with at first disbelief and then disagreement.

As a result, Commissioner Trumka issued what the CSPC described as a “clarification” to assure America’s tens of millions of gas stove users that he didn’t mean any option is on the table when he said, “any option is on the table.”

The backtracking continued when the White House press secretary said President Biden is not looking to take away anyone’s gas stove. But this is hardly reassuring given how this administration has waged war on the production of American energy from its first day in office.

Columnist Stephen L. Miller added important background to a study cited by Trumka to justify a ban that says gas stoves are potentially the cause of approximately 12 percent of all childhood asthma cases. He wrote, “The Rocky Mountain Institute, whose stated goal is to decarbonize everything, commissioned the study.” Shortly after, the Institute also joined the clarifying club by saying the study “does not assume or estimate a causal relationship between childhood asthma and gas stoves.”

And while it is in character for the Biden Administration to reach beyond its legal authority, under the Commerce Clause, Congress alone has the power “to regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states, and with the Indian tribes.” It is past time for Congress to rein in our unaccountable federal bureaucracy.

The truth is natural gas is a safe, reliable, and affordable source of energy. Rural communities across the country—including regions of my district—rely on natural gas to heat their homes, cook their food, and live their lives.

To protect our rights to a gas-powered stove, I introduced the Guarding America’s Stoves (GAS) Act with significant support from the Republican Conference. The bill text is simple: it would prevent the Biden Administration from carrying out any nonsensical ban on gas-burning stoves. Even though the White House says it won’t happen, Biden’s appointees clearly say otherwise.

To ban an appliance used by more than 40 million homes and 76 percent of restaurants is not just regulation run amok. It is a preposterous overreach of federal power that would deny Americans a necessary product they use every day. That’s why it is time for legislation that clearly states the Executive Branch does not have the authority to dictate what energy we can or cannot use.