Democrats, environmental groups target other home appliances amid gas stove debate

Democrats and far-left green groups have set their sights on regulating a wide range of popular home appliances in an attempt to advance their broader electrification and climate agenda.

The push to regulate home appliances, including water heaters, stoves, washing machines, dishwashers, ceiling fans, microwave ovens and showerheads, comes as the Biden administration and Democratic lawmakers continue to set lofty environmental and abandonment goals. from fossil fuels. addiction. Environmentalists argue that electrification, a ban on natural gas connections and the implementation of strict energy efficiency standards could help accelerate emissions reductions.

“There is bad news for almost every room in the house,” Ben Lieberman, senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, told Fox News Digital. “Climate activists and the Biden administration want homeowners to stop using natural gas and electrify everything. This will affect natural gas appliances and electric versions such as stoves, as well as heating systems and water heaters.”

“Thus, attempts are being made to tip the scales in favor of electric versions, although natural gas is much cheaper per unit of energy,” he continued. “It makes sense to give consumers that choice, rather than force them to switch to electricity.”

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President Biden (left) is pictured with White House Chief of Staff Ron Klein (right) and Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm in June 2021.

President Biden (left) is pictured with White House Chief of Staff Ron Klein (right) and Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm in June 2021.
(Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

On his first day in office in January 2021, President Biden signed an executive order requiring the Department of Energy to make “significant changes” to the current standards and home appliance regulatory standards set by the Trump administration. A month later, the agency listed more than a dozen energy efficiency regulations affecting devices such as water heaters, cooking products and lamps, which it would consider.

Under the federal Unified Agenda — a nationwide semi-annual list that highlights regulators they plan to issue over the next 12 months — the Biden administration is pushing rules that affect dozens of other appliances, such as refrigerators, boilers and air conditioners. In a recent example, the Department of Energy proposed strict standards for light bulbs, raising the minimum efficiency level.

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“In fact, this year alone, we are going to introduce 100 rules for appliances,” former White House chief climate adviser Gina McCarthy said during a May speech. “We are developing partnerships about how we work together towards new building standards.”

Democratic lawmakers also demanded that the administration make such rules even faster. Senators Jeanne Shaheen, DN.H., and Peter Welch, D-Vt., led a letter that nearly 50 other Senate and House Democrats signed last year warning Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm that inefficient appliances that emit “excessive greenhouse gas gases” continue to circulate.

Pictured is a washing machine with an energy efficiency rating.

Pictured is a washing machine with an energy efficiency rating.
(Getty images)

“Household appliance standards are critical to reducing utility bills and greenhouse gas emissions, but they are now hopelessly outdated,” said Steven Nadel, executive director of the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, after the letter. “The Biden administration has a lot of work to do to update standards for dozens of products, and it needs to act with much more urgency. Each delay means more inefficient appliances and equipment that cause unnecessary emissions for years or decades.”

“Getting our efficiency standards program back on track is a win-win for the planet and consumers,” added Joe Vukovic, an energy efficiency advocate with another climate group’s Natural Resources Defense Council. “Ensuring our appliances don’t waste energy unnecessarily saves US households and businesses money on their utility bills and prevents the release of dangerous, warming pollution.”

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Overall, the Biden administration has taken more than 110 actions on energy efficiency standards in 2022. Granholm said in December that the rules strengthened the U.S. lead in “the race for a clean energy future.”

In addition, the White House recently hosted an electrification summit in which Granholm played a leading role. During the summit, administration officials and environmentalists discussed ways to advance the electrification of buildings and transportation while reducing fossil fuel use across the economy.

“We need to bring these technologies to homes across America, and we need to do it as quickly as possible,” White House climate chief John Podesta said during the summit.

White House Climate King John Podesta speaks at the Electrification Summit Dec. 14.

White House Climate King John Podesta speaks at the Electrification Summit Dec. 14.
(White House/video screenshot)

Meanwhile, the Biden administration was forced earlier this month to backtrack on officials’ comments that it would consider a federal ban on gas stoves after widespread criticism. A few days earlier, a member of the Consumer Product Safety Commission told Bloomberg that “every option is being considered” and that unsafe products could be banned, noting that gas stoves are a “hidden danger.”

A study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health in December links 12% of childhood asthma to gas stoves.

However, critics point out that the study was funded in part by RMI, a non-profit research firm that advocates aggressive green politics and works to “transform global energy systems into real economies.” They also argue that limiting the use of natural gas will significantly increase heating and energy costs for consumers.

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“If cutting-edge devices make sense to consumers, they will sell themselves without any requirements,” Lieberman told Fox News Digital. “I think this is a good rule of thumb with very, very few exceptions. Consumers are smart shoppers. These prescriptions impose universal solutions on everyone. No two houses are exactly alike, no two homeowners are exactly alike.”

“I think there are some real issues from a consumer perspective when you start to cut down on choices – I would argue that you are never doing consumers a favor when you cut down on choices and force them to choose eco-friendly models that will be at their peak. market regardless,” he said. “The question is, do we need mandates that force that choice on everyone, especially when it’s the more expensive option?”

The Biden administration has said it will not ban gas stoves, but it is initiating a process this year to learn from the public about the dangers of such appliances.

The Biden administration has said it will not ban gas stoves, but it is initiating a process this year to learn from the public about the dangers of such appliances.
(Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Lieberman noted that such rules would raise the price of appliances and that it is unclear whether they will save consumers money on their energy bills.

Brent Bennett, policy director for the Texas Public Policy Foundation, said the drive to improve energy efficiency in home appliances and the shift to electrification was part of the environmental, social and governance (ESG) movement to rapidly shift the economy to green energy.

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“There is an element of a kind of religious fervor against fossil fuels, regardless of the actual impact,” he said in an interview with Fox News Digital. “So, therefore, it’s viewed as — if it’s electric, it’s better, and there’s really no need to look deeper into it than that.”

“Regarding ESG, I think you’ll see US companies being forced to cut their Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions in particular. At some point they will have to electrify more of their processes. and buy more electric vehicles to cut emissions.”

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