Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm admitted that she owns a gas stove on Thursday while she denied that the Biden administration is seeking to prohibit the popular appliances.
A recent memo from the Energy Department indicated that roughly “half of the total gas cooking top market” would be impacted by forthcoming efficiency standards. Granholm said in response to questions from Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) about the policy that there has been “an awful lot of misinformation” about the agency’s intentions.
“This does not impact the majority, and it certainly does not say that anybody who has a gas stove would have their gas stove taken away,” she told Newhouse and other members of the House Appropriations Committee. “There’s no ban on gas stoves. I have a gas stove. It is just about making the existing electric and gas stoves, and all the other appliances, more efficient.”
Granholm also clarified that a recent Energy Department study in which 96% of gas stoves failed to meet compliance levels was an inaccurate representation of how many stoves could truly be impacted by the regulation since researchers tested outcomes for appliances expected to fall short of the standards. “The full range of gas stoves absolutely is not affected,” she continued. “Half of the gas stoves that are on the market right now wouldn’t even be impacted.”
The proposed regulations would subject gas stoves to a new “maximum integrated annual energy consumption” standard under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act. The rules, for which the Energy Department is accepting public comment until early April, would mark a change from previous regulations that prohibited constant burning pilot lights in gas stoves but placed no limits on energy consumption. Officials noted that “products achieving these standard levels are already commercially available for all product classes covered by this proposal” and cited “important and robust” climate benefits in documents justifying the new rules.
Some 38% of households in the United States use gas stoves for cooking, with the figure approaching 70% for states such as California and New Jersey, according to data from the Energy Information Administration. Those who use gas stoves often cite the easier temperature control offered by the appliances relative to electric alternatives.
Households which utilize natural gas typically see lower energy expenses than those which utilize electricity: the former power source costs $12.09 per British thermal unit, according to more data from the Energy Department, while the latter costs $41.79 per British thermal unit.
Controversy over the potential regulations on gas stoves emerged earlier this year when Consumer Product Safety Commission Commissioner Richard Trumka Jr. said in an interview that gas stoves constitute a “hidden hazard” and declared that “any option is on the table” for a nationwide prohibition. Consumer Product Safety Commission Chairman Alex Hoehn-Saric later posted a statement asserting that neither he nor the agency planned to outlaw gas stoves.
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The attention toward the appliances from the Biden administration follows a letter written by lawmakers such as Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) that expressed concern over the “risks posed to consumers” by air pollution, especially among individuals who reside in low-income, African-American, or Hispanic households.