Energy Secretary Granholm Admits She Has A Gas Stove While Justifying Push To Regulate Appliances

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm admitted that she owns a gas stove on Thursday while she denied that the Biden administration is seeking to prohibit the popular appliances.

According to a recent Energy Department memo, upcoming efficiency standards would have an impact on over” half of the total gas cooking best market.” There has been” an awful lot of misinformation” about the agency’s intentions, Granholm said in response to questions from Rep. Dan Newhouse( R – WA ) regarding the policy.

She told Newhouse and some members of the House Appropriations Committee that” this does not effect the lot, and it most likely do not say that anyone who has a gas heater may have their oil Stove taken away.” There is no restriction on gas heaters. My home has a gas heater. It simply involves improving the efficiency of the current electric and gas cookers, as well as all other devices.

Granholm also emphasized that a recent Energy Department study found that 96 % of gas stoves fell short of compliance levels was an exaggeration of the number of cooktops that could actually be impacted by the regulation given that researchers tested results for appliances that were predicted to be below the standards. She continued,” The comprehensive range of gas stoves is certainly unaffected.” ” On the current market, half of the gas stoves wouldn’t even be impacted.”

The Energy Policy and Conservation Act’s new” maximum designed monthly energy demand” standards may be applied to gas heaters as a result of the proposed regulations. The legislation would be a change from earlier ones that forbade steady pilot lights in gas heaters but did not set any restrictions on energy consumption. The Energy Department is accepting public comments on the rules until early April. In documents defending the new regulations, officials cited” critical and strong” climate benefits and stated that” products achieving these standard levels are also commercially available for all material classes covered by this plan.”

According to Energy Information Administration data, 38 % of American households use gas stoves for cooking, with nearly 70 % in states like California and New Jersey. People who use gas stoves frequently mention how much simpler temperature control they provide than incandescent options.

Natural gas-based homes typically have lower energy costs than those that use light: the former potential supplier costs$ 12.09 per British thermal unit, according to more information from the Energy Department, while the latter costs$ 41.79.

When Consumer Product Safety Commission Commissioner Richard Trumka Jr. stated in an interview that gas heaters constitute a” hidden risk” and said that” any mode is on the table” to enact an international ban earlier this year, controversy over the possible regulations on those devices surfaced. Later, Alex Hoehn-Saric, chairman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, posted a statement claiming that neither he nor the organization intended to abolish gas heaters.

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The Biden administration’s focus on the appliances comes in response to a letter from lawmakers like Sens. Cory Booker( D-NY ) and Dianne Feinstein, D-CA, which expressed concern over the” risks to consumers” posed by air pollution, particularly among those who live in low-income, African-American, or Hispanic households.