On Tuesday, the Republican-controlled House passed a bill to prevent the federal government from regulating gas stoves, the Washington Examiner reported.
The bipartisan legislation, the Gas Stove Protection and Freedom Act passed in a 248-180 vote, with 29 Democrats voting with Republicans in support of the measure.
The bill will prevent the Consumer Product Safety Commission from banning or strictly regulating natural gas stoves.
In January, Consumer Product Safety Commission member Richard Trumpka Jr. suggested the possibility of banning gas stoves due to purported air pollution. Not long afterward, the Department of Energy proposed new rules requiring improved energy efficiency for new gas stove models.
Many lawmakers, including Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), opposed regulations on residential stoves, accusing the Biden administration of overreach to advance its “green” agenda.
Rep. Kelly Armstrong (R-ND), the sponsor of the House bill, said the goal of the Biden administration’s “green climate push” is to “dictate” “every aspect of your life,” from how Americans invest to imposing bans on gas-powered vehicles and controlling “how you cook,” according to Politico.
In addition to passing the Gas Stove Protection and Freedom Act, on Wednesday, the House passed Arizona Rep. Debbie Lesko’s Save Our Gas Stoves Act. This legislation amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to ensure that no conservation standard for stoves can be based on the type of fuel the stoves require.
House Democrats argued that the two bills misrepresented the Energy Department’s proposed rules and accused Republicans of stoking the culture war to protect the fossil fuel industry.
Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) dismissed the need for the legislation entirely, claiming that nobody is trying to take away gas stoves.
While it is not clear if the president would veto the bills if they passed the Democrat-controlled Senate, the White House did say that President Biden “strongly” opposes the legislation, according to Politico.
