The Biden administration locked in the gas stove rule on Monday after insisting it had no intention of banning gas stoves and rebuffing efforts by opposition groups to repeal the rule. [emphasis, links added]
The gas furnace efficiency rule announced by the Department of Energy (DOE) in January will take effect in January 2028, the Federal Register reported Monday.
The finalized rules were less stringent than the 2023 proposal that was subsequently abandoned, and nuances in the rulemaking process allowed the agency to roll back parts of the regulations when it received a flood of negative public comments, E&E News reported. The DOE went ahead with its ruling despite objections from several Republican state attorneys general and advocacy groups including the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI).
According to E&E News, the DOE introduced the rule as a “direct final rulemaking,” meaning no proposals for the policy have been released yet.
The “direct final rulemaking” process also allows groups such as CEI to comment on the rule, giving the agency the opportunity to water down the rule.
CEI argued in comments that the 2023 proposal did downplay new, less aggressive regulations, but it still should be withdrawn because it represents an overreach by the federal government and remains a policy that will increase costs for American consumersaccording to E&E News and Federal Register entries.
In addition to the CEI and some Republican attorneys general, the Antonin Scalia School of Law's Administrative Law Clinic and other groups have voiced their opposition to the DOE rule.
The U.S. Department of Energy has claimed that the government's proposal to ban gas stoves is a “myth” and “misinformation.”
Notably, Biden administration officials filed an amicus brief asking a federal court to overturn a decision that lifted the city of Berkeley, California's 2019 ban on installing natural gas in new buildings. The policy ostensibly prohibits the installation of gas furnaces in new buildings.
“President Biden is committed to using every tool at the government’s disposal to lower costs for American families and create healthier communities, including as announced today,” Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said of the rulemaking released late at night. energy efficiency measures.
DOE's regulations apply to electric ranges, gas ranges, stand-alone electric ranges, stand-alone gas cooktops, and ovens.
The rule could drive up the cost of certain models upfront, but the Biden administration claims the policy will save Americans' bills over time by reducing the amount of energy their home stoves use, according to the Washington Post. one. …
Nearly 70% of respondents opposed a policy that would essentially ban gas stoves. According to the June 2023 Harvard CAPS Harris Poll.
More than 80 percent of Republican respondents and 71 percent of independents opposed the policy, as did 55 percent of Democrats surveyed.
In addition to the stove, The U.S. Department of Energy also has energy efficiency rules for everyday items like water heaters, furnaces and pool pump motors.
The Biden administration has also spent hundreds of millions of dollars to help state and municipal governments develop building codes aimed at “decarbonizing” buildings.
Top photo of Secretary of Energy Granholm via DOE/YouTube screencap
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