FIRST ON FOX: The Biden administration seriously considered banning natural gas-powered stoves before it received widespread criticism for considering such a move, according to an internal memo obtained by Fox News Digital.
In the memo dated Oct. 25, 2022, Richard Trumka Jr. — whom President Biden appointed to serve on the five-person Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) — wrote to a fellow commissioner that there was sufficient evidence for the agency to move forward with a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPR) to ban gas stoves in the near future. Trumka’s memo was titled, “NPR Proposing Ban on Gas Stoves (Indoor Air Quality).”
“The need for gas stove regulation has reached a boiling point,” the CPSC commissioner wrote in the October memo. “CPSC has the responsibility to ban consumer products that emit hazardous substances, particularly, when those emissions harm children, under the Federal Hazardous Substances Act.”
“Emerging evidence is sufficient to conclude that gas stoves in homes emit toxic gasses that cause illness and that lower-cost, safer alternatives are available,” Trumka added.
DEMOCRAT-LED CITIES ARE ALREADY MOVING FORWARD WITH GAS STOVE BANS THAT WILL AFFECT MILLIONS
Trumka noted that the two largest U.S. cities, New York City and Los Angeles, had already banned gas stoves in new construction “for health and inequity reasons” and because gas stoves “strongly contribute to climate change through greenhouse gas emissions.”
“There is sufficient information available for CPSC to issue an NPR in FY 2023 proposing to ban gas stoves in homes,” he concluded. “The additional work needed to complete an NPR is primarily economic; the available health and scientific evidence on illnesses caused by the relevant gasses at the concentrations present in homes with gas stoves already exists.”
BIDEN AGENCY REFUSES TO CITE RESEARCH SUPPORTING POTENTIAL NATURAL GAS STOVE BAN
Trumka’s internal memo shows that plans to restrict gas stoves were set in motion months earlier than previously reported. It also casts doubts on comments made recently by Trumka and other administration officials that such a ban would not be considered.
Months after the memo, Trumka made headlines when he told Bloomberg in January that “any option is on the table” regarding gas stove regulation.
His comments sparked a furor from energy groups, Republican lawmakers and some Democrats who blasted the CPSC for targeting gas stoves, which are used by millions of Americans. Critics also said alternatives to natural gas power would increase costs for consumers.
In response to the widespread criticism, the White House was forced to walk back Trumka’s comments, saying Biden was not in favor of banning gas stoves, and CPSC Chairman Alexander Hoehn-Saric stated he was not “looking to ban gas stoves.”
“CPSC is researching gas emissions in stoves and exploring new ways to address any health risks,” the chairman added. “CPSC also is actively engaged in strengthening voluntary safety standards for gas stoves.”
Deputy Energy Secretary David Turk reiterated during a hearing Thursday that the administration would not ban gas stoves after Senate Energy and Natural Resources Ranking Member John Barrasso, R-Wyo., asked him about Trumka’s memo.
On Wednesday, the Department of Energy (DOE) introduced a series of strict gas stove standards that would mandate higher efficiency levels. A DOE spokesperson told FOX Business that the agency wasn’t considering a ban.
Additionally, Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., introduced legislation that would block the CPSC from banning gas stoves.
“Make no mistake, radical environmentalists want to stop Americans from using natural gas,” Cruz said. “The Consumer Product Safety Commission’s proposed ban on gas stoves is the latest egregious scaremongering by the far left and their Biden administration allies.”