Two senior Department of Energy (DOE) officials refused to testify during a May 24 hearing before the House Oversight Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Energy Policy, and Regulatory Affairs regarding the Biden administration’s proposed rule on gas stoves.
The hearing was titled “Consumer Choice on the Backburner: Examining the Biden Administration’s Regulatory Assault on Americans’ Gas Stoves.”
Alejandro Moreno, the acting assistant secretary for DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, and Carolyn Snyder, the office’s deputy assistant secretary, did not attend the hearing despite being asked to testify.
They cited the ongoing rule-making process surrounding their new appliance efficiency standards as the reason for the failure to attend, according to Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Pat Fallon (R-Texas).
The failure to testify marks the second time in a week that Biden administration officials have refused to appear before the subcommittee.
Fallon took aim at the department’s no-shows during the hearing, saying they “ought to be here at this hearing to answer questions about rule-making on gas stoves.”
“What are they hiding?” Fallon asked. “Why are they afraid to come and answer questions about one of [the department’s] own priorities before the elected representatives of the people?”
Impacts of Gas Stove Rule
In an updated analysis (pdf) published later in February, the DOE said that nearly half of gas stove models currently being sold on the market wouldn’t be in compliance with the new efficiency standards.The move has sparked widespread concern among industry experts and Republican lawmakers who fear the new standards will increase costs for manufacturers and consumers at a time when energy prices have skyrocketed.
Earlier in May, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) blocked one of Biden’s nominees to lead the DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy from further consideration, citing his concerns over the proposed stove efficiency rules.
Despite the ongoing concerns about the consequences of the newly-proposed rules, the White House has repeatedly denied that it plans to ban gas stoves.
The Epoch Times has contacted the Department of Energy for comment.