Washington, DC—U.S. Representative John Rose (TN-06) spoke on the House Floor Wednesday to criticize recent policies and regulations created to limit energy consumption of household stoves and appliances. Rep. Rose also spoke in support of H.R. 1615, the Gas Stove Protection and Freedom Act, and H.R. 1640, the Save Our Gas Stoves Act.
The full remarks, as prepared for delivery, are below:
Madam Speaker, today I rise in opposition to the President Biden and extreme Green New Deal Democrats’ attempts to ban gas stoves and cooking appliances. And I rise in support of H.R. 1615 and H.R. 1640, which would extinguish this egregious abuse of power.
Madam Speaker, natural gas stoves are currently the preferred cooktop appliance for nearly 40% of American households. In fact, nearly 187 million Americans use natural gas because it is relatively affordable and reliable. As Americans have been facing the gripping reality of surging prices for almost everything thanks to the reckless and out-of-control spending of President Biden and Congressional Democrats, the last thing they need is to be forced to spend an additional $1,068 per year on all electric appliances.
During debate, Democrats will say and have said that no one is trying to take away your gas stoves. That couldn’t be any further than the truth. In fact, a CNN headline reads: “New York becomes the first state to ban natural gas stoves and furnaces in new buildings.” While discussing gas stoves in January of this year, Consumer Product Safety Commissioner Richard Trumka Jr. said that “Any option is on the table,” regarding banning gas stoves.
A month later in February, seemingly following the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s lead, the U.S. Department of Energy issued a proposed rule that, if finalized, would set maximum annual energy consumption standards for electric and gas cooking tops manufactured and sold into commerce. This proposed rule would have an estimated cost of $183.4 million for manufactures that will need to comply with the new standards. And somehow, the administration “tentatively concluded” that the new standards would be technologically feasible and economically justified. Give me a break.
Now, Madam Speaker, being from Tennessee, gas stoves are not all that common given the affordability of electricity and our history relying on coal and wood for cooking and heating. In fact, according to the U.S. U.S. Energy Information Administration’s Residential Energy Consumption Survey, as of 2019, 20.4% of households in Tennessee have gas stoves. Despite this, the Tennessee state legislature passed, and the governor signed into law legislation that prevents local governments from banning gas stoves. Thankfully, there are no localities in the Volunteer State pursuing this ill-guided policy, but if there ever was, they face a steep uphill climb.
All of this is to say, Americans should be allowed the freedom to make this decision for themselves. The last thing they need is the federal government coming into their kitchen and telling them what appliances they should be using. Not only is it extremely costly and ineffective, but it’s a step towards becoming a socialist Nanny State.
Lastly, Green New Democrats in favor of banning gas stoves claim that it will save the environment and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But the truth is that homes with natural gas appliances emit 22% less C02 than all-electric homes.
So, Madam Speaker, let’s call this what it is: a blatant overreach and abuse of power by Green New Deal Democrats and the power-hungry Biden Administration. Thankfully, House Republicans are taking action to protect American’s freedom to choose for themselves whether a gas stove is the proper choice for them by passing H.R. 1615 and H.R. 1640 the Gas Stove Protection and Freedom Act and the Save Our Gas Stoves Act.
You can watch the speech here.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://johnrose.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-rose-criticizes-biden-administration-restrictions-gas-stoves-speaks