The U.S. House of Representatives voted in favor of a bill that stops the Consumer Product Safety Commission from using federal funds to regulate gas stoves.
H.R. 1615, the Gas Stove Protection and Freedom Act, would protect consumer access to gas stoves by preventing the CPSC from advancing regulations on existing or new gas stoves that would ban their use or substantially increase the price of the average gas stove, according to the NAHB.
A second gas stove-related bill, the Save Our Gas Stove Act, is expected to be voted on by Congress in the near future. The bill would prevent the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) from promulgating a rule that would limit the use of residential gas cooktops. According to the NAHB, the DOE’s current proposed rule, Energy Conservation Standards for Consumer Conventional Cooking Products, would ban the sale of most current gas cooktop models sold in the United States.
“NAHB is committed to defending consumer access to gas stoves and ensuring that Americans have access to all fuel options in their homes,” Lake Coulson, NAHB’s chief lobbyist, said in a statement to BUILDER. “These bills are important to the residential construction industry as they will prevent federal agencies from using the rulemaking process to implement a de facto ban on the use of gas stoves in new-construction homes across the country.”
The NAHB submitted a letter to Congress in support of both bills, arguing the bills would “protect consumer access to residential gas stoves and the energy sources of their choice.”
“The recent push from federal agencies to regulate gas stoves will drastically limit the availability of gas stoves across the country as it will take manufacturers time to develop and product appliances that meet new requirements,” the NAHB wrote in its letter. “The appliance production delay in combination with ongoing nationwide supply chain issues will result in consumers paying more for both electric and gas stoves in the coming years.”
