Manchin and Cruz Introduce Bipartisan Gas Stove Protection Legislation

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.) on Capitol Hill in Washington on May 4, 2022. Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images

Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) introduced bipartisan legislation that would protect the use of gas stoves.

Cruz, who is the incoming Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, and Manchin, who is the Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, introduced the Gas Stove Protection and Freedom Act. The legislation would block the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) from banning gas stoves.

Manchin commented on the legislation during the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee opening remarks on Feb. 2: “Gas stoves have been in the news lately, and I’ve come out strongly against the Consumer Product Safety Commission pursuing any ban of gas stoves,” the West Virginia Democrat said.

“I’m introducing legislation today with Senator Cruz that would ensure they don’t. And separately sending a letter to the Commission with Senator [James] Lankford [(R-Okla.)] seeking clarification about the Commission’s sudden desire to conduct an RFI on gas stoves,” the lawmaker went on.

The letter Manchin referenced was addressed to Consumer Product Safety Commission Chairman Alexander Hoehn-Saric, questioning the comments made by administration officials about regulating the use of gas stoves.

The letter (pdf) states that, while the commission has dissuaded public outrage about banning the stoves, Lankford and Manchin “remain concerned about the commission’s goals and potential future action on this issue.”

The future use of gas stoves has been in the headlines for weeks as the Biden administration considers ways to pursue its climate change goals. The internal administration memo, seen on Fox News, indicated that the administration may have been seriously considering the ban. Lawmakers and citizens alike voiced fierce pushback about the possibility.

“Make no mistake, radical environmentalists want to stop Americans from using natural gas,” Cruz said, according to a representative from the Senate Commerce Committee Republican Press Office who responded to The Epoch Times’ request for comment. “The Consumer Product Safety Commission’s proposed ban on gas stoves is the latest egregious scaremongering by the Far Left and their Biden administration allies. I am pleased to partner with Senator Manchin in this bipartisan effort to stop the federal government from issuing regulations that put the interests of the Green New Deal before the well-being of American families.”

The legislation introduced by Manchin and Cruz prohibits the CPSC from using government funds to ban gas stoves or impose requirements that would significantly raise the costs of gas stoves, making them inaccessible to Americans.

“In light of the broader concerns about the administration looking to find ways to push out natural gas, I think it’s prudent to say we’re looking at this,” Manchin said at his committee meeting. “As I’ve said before, the federal government has no business telling American families how to cook their dinner.”