US Utilities Lobby Congress to Keep Gas Stoves Legal

Flames burn on a natural gas-burning stove in Chicago on Jan. 12, 2023. Photo Illustration by Scott Olson/Getty Images

American gas utilities are lobbying support for bills to keep gas stoves operational, as the Biden administration recommends their elimination for climate change purposes.

Natural gas companies are gathering their political allies in Congress to ward off any attempts that gas stove use be curtailed, according to federal records.

Gas utility companies fear that gas stove bans are the start of a broader phaseout of natural gas, as climate change activists aim to electrify more of the energy system.

Leftist climate change activists are now going after natural gas consumption after destroying the U.S. coal industry under the Biden administration.

Biden Admin Ponders Ban On Gas Stoves

About 69 percent of Americans said they are against a government ban on gas stoves, according to a June poll conducted by the Harvard Center for American Political Studies and Harris.

The controversy exploded in January after the White House said it was mulling a nationwide ban on gas stoves, citing a report linking its use to asthma and other health risks.

A top official at the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) suggested that a national ban on gas stoves could curb air pollution, but that statement was denied by the agency’s head.

It was also later revealed that the agency had been considering a ban on gas stoves for months.

The backlash grew even further after the Department of Energy introduced new regulations in February that would impose harsher energy efficiency standards on new gas stove models by 2027.

However, the Energy Department insisted that it had no plans to ban gas stoves, calling the accusations “absurd.”

Gas-burning stoves are offered for sale at a home improvement store in Chicago, Ill., on Jan. 12, 2023. Scott Olson/Getty Images

Gas stoves account for less than 1 percent of natural gas consumption in the United States, and more than 47 million, or 38 percent of households, cook with gas, according to the Energy Information Administration.

American families used 88.3 billion cubic feet of gas to cook at home in 2020, or 0.3 percent of that year’s total gas consumption of 30.5 trillion cubic feet.

Gas Utility Companies Lobby

Gas utility companies like CenterPoint Energy (pdf), CMS Energy (pdf), and other trade groups have been lobbying Congress to support such bills as the Save Our Gas Stoves Act, which the House passed 249-181 last month.

At least 29 Democrats joined 220 Republicans in support of the act.

Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Ark.) introduced companion legislation in the Senate, which has the backing of Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.).

The legislation, which was sponsored by Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz.), prohibits the energy secretary from “finalizing, implementing, or enforcing the proposed rule titled ‘‘Energy Conservation Program: Energy Conservation Standards for Consumer Conventional Cooking Products,” which would force most current models off the market.

The Energy Department would also be blocked from introducing standards that “would result in the prohibition of a kitchen range or stove based on the type of fuel it uses, including gas stoves.”

The House also passed the Gas Stove Protection and Freedom Act by a vote of 248-180, which prevents the CPSC from using federal funds from being used to regulate gas stoves as banned hazardous products under the Consumer Product Safety Act. 

The White House has expressed opposition to any legislation on gas stove regulation but has not mentioned if President Joe Biden will veto them.

Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.) during a hearing in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington on July 25, 2019. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.), who supported the legislation, told The Hill that gas stoves were cheap and effective and that banning their use would plunge many households into poverty.

“Gas stoves are an integral part of how food is prepared for nearly 187 million Americans, valued for their affordability and reliability,” said Mr. Newhouse

“This transition to more expensive alternatives, as proposed by the Biden administration, would impose significant financial strains on American households.

“Homes equipped with natural gas appliances save families up to $1,068 annually compared to their all-electric counterparts,” he said.

“It is unfathomable that in the pursuit of climate activism, the government would willingly burden its people with exorbitant electricity bills and costly appliance replacements.”

Local Governments Pass Bills

Meanwhile, local authorities are now taking up the ban on gas stoves, and several cities across the country already have gas stove restrictions in effect.

In May, New York became the first state to pass legislation that would ban the installation of gas stoves in new buildings due to alleged health concerns.

The new bill will prohibit gas stoves along with water heaters, clothes dryers, and other appliances that burn gas, but service to existing buildings was not affected by the legislation.

“The approach from many states and cities in different parts of the US has been to change building codes that would really require all electric equipment or deny hookups of fuel gas equipment to the home,” said Richard Meyer, the vice president of energy markets at the American Gas Association (AGA).

After the House passed the bill, the AGA noted that “customers want natural gas” and urged the Senate to pass the legislation.

The American Public Gas Association, which represents municipal-owned utilities, said that the two House bills “prevent the regulatory assaults on gas-cooking products that would significantly impact the direct use of natural gas, which APGA members advocate for”.