Energy Secretary Granholm insists gas stove standards will only impact high-end models: ‘There’s no ban’

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm On Thursday questioned his department’s proposed efficiency standards for gas and electric stove appliances, with lawmakers reiterating that there are currently no plans to ban gas stoves.

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At a budget hearing for fiscal year 2024, Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., asked the secretary to address constituent concerns that “literally 96% of tested residential gas stove tops” comply with the proposed draft rule published in I will not be february. Newhouse said that if that number were accurate, using gas stoves would be “out of the question for most consumers” and said that switching to stoves that meet the new standards would be “hugely difficult” for Americans, both individuals and American restaurants. will be expensive”.

Granholm used the opportunity to clear up “misinformation” about the Energy Department’s proposal.

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Noting that Congress is requiring his department to update energy efficiency standards for gas and electric stovetops as well as a wide range of home appliances, Granholm stressed that most residential stoves won’t be affected by the changes.

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She told lawmakers that when the Department of Energy (DOE) tested gas stoves for compliance with a new rule, “in this case they chose the gas stoves that were most likely to be affected.”

Granholm said the 96% figure Newhouse referred to tested gas cooking tops that were expected to fail to meet the proposed standards, not the full range of cooking tops available.

“So the whole range of gas stoves is not affected at all,” said Granholm. “In fact, not even half the gas stoves on the market right now will be affected.”

Those affected are “high-end” gas stoves that have “bulky grates” and oval-shaped burners, which “cause an excess amount of natural gas to be emitted relative to the pot,” she explained. He said the cost of bringing these stove tops into compliance with the new regulations would be about $12 per appliance.

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In a notice of proposed rulemaking issued in February, Department of Energy said it has “provisionally concluded” that new energy conservation standards for stove appliances would be both technically feasible and economically reasonable. The agency has proposed new limits on how much energy electric stove tops (both coil and smooth) and gas cooking tops can consume in a year.

In a shift, the Energy Department proposes to end a ban on pilot lights in gas stoves that burn continuously, but says a stove with a pilot light that burns continuously will not meet standards new efficiency standards,

The DOE argued that stove equipment meeting its proposed standards is already commercially available and that benefits to consumers And the climate potential outweighs the burden. Regulators estimate that the new standard will increase the upfront cost of stove products by $32.5 million per year, but save $100.8 million annually in operating costs while generating $67 million in climate benefits and $64.9 million in health benefits.

A DOE spokesperson told Fox Business that the proposed standards would not go into effect until 2027 and would save the country up to $1.7 billion overall.

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“It doesn’t affect the majority and it certainly doesn’t say that anyone who has a gas stove will have their stove taken away,” Granholm insisted Thursday. “There’s no restriction on gas stoves – I have a gas stove – it’s about making existing electric and gas stoves and all other appliances more efficient.”

The Biden administration was embroiled in a controversy in January after US Consumer Product Safety Commissioner Richard Trumka Jr. suggested the administration could ban gas stoves, which were claimed to emit pollutants. Which causes respiratory and health related problems,

Trumka told Bloomberg that “any option is on the table” as the commission develops rules to make gas stoves safer. “Products that cannot be made safe can be banned,” he said.

Roughly 35% of homes in the US have gas stoves, which, according to reports, release carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and other cases that the World Health Organization and EPA have deemed unsafe because they can cause cardiovascular problems, cancer, and other health conditions.

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Republican lawmaker upset with Trumka’s remarks who condemned the move “At its worst as a ‘nanny state’.” In response to the outcry, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said President Biden does not support banning gas stoves. Trumka eventually retracted his comments, and Alex Hohen-Sarik, chairman of the U.S. Product Safety Commission, issued a statement clarifying that no attempt to ban gas stoves was in the works.

FOX Business’ Daniela Genovese and Sarah Rumph contributed to this report.