Department of Energy “Conservation” Rule Would Ban Gas Stoves

​DENVER – Western Energy Alliance today called on the Department of Energy (DOE) to abandon its cook stove rule intended to ban new gas stoves and compel a transition to electric under the guise of energy conservation standards. The rule violates the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA) by saving an insignificant amount of energy while reducing consumer choice and eliminating features only available from natural gas stoves. The rule saves the individual consumer a negligible amount of energy worth between $0.79 and $1.51 annually, and runs afoul of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) by using the Social Cost of Greenhouse Gases to inflate supposed benefits.  
 
“Earlier this year, a Consumer Product Safety Commissioner made news by saying the federal government was working on banning gas stoves, citing debunked health claims. The White House went into clean-up mode, stating that President Biden doesn’t support a ban. Apparently he just doesn’t want to take responsibility, since his administration is moving forward with an energy conservation rule that would in effect ban new gas stoves,” said Kathleen Sgamma, president of Western Energy Alliance. “Only 4% of the marketplace—one model—meets the standard and the savings are negligible, 0.07% of residential energy and 0.001% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Such small savings justifies handcuffing neither America’s great culinary arts nor basic home cooking.

​“In the name of climate change, the administration is trying to force a future in which no oil and natural gas are used. This DOE rule to ban gas stoves is out at the same time as an EPA rule that attempts to ban gasoline-powered cars and trucks and force us all into electric vehicles. As producers, we’re puzzled by government efforts to drive electrification of everything when of course, the majority of U.S. electricity is generated by natural gas (38%) and coal (22%). Intermittent wind and solar energy cannot power the whole economy, especially if we attempt to transfer all transportation from oil (97%) to electricity. The electric grid can’t support a rapid change and the huge mineral demand for batteries would mostly come from China.
 
“There is no alternative that does everything oil and natural gas do, from providing 70% of American energy for transportation, home heating and electricity to supplying medicine, food, clean water, electronics, and thousands of other consumer products. Humanity would be much worse off without oil and natural gas, yet the administration is exceeding statutory authority in just about every agency to compel a transition to a future that doesn’t meet the needs of Americans. Thankfully the Supreme Court addressed the Major Questions Doctrine in West Virginia v EPA, ruling that standard agency regulation cannot be used to enact sweeping, economy-wide change in the absence of laws from Congress,” concluded Sgamma.
 
Western Energy Alliance comments submitted to DOE are available here.

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