Democrat Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) has fired back at President Joe Biden’s administration by declaring that he is “strongly against” any plans for a crackdown on gas stoves in American homes.
Speaking from the Senate floor on Thursday, Manchin declared that the federal government has no right to tell “American families how to cook their dinner.”
Manchin was responding to a fresh push from Biden’s Department of Energy (DOE) that targets gas stoves.
On Wednesday, the DOE revealed a proposed rule that would set a new “energy conservation standard” for both gas stoves and electric cooking equipment.
The rule would create energy efficiency standards for new gas stoves.
As Slay News reported last month, a commissioner at the Consumer Product Safety Commission told Bloomberg in January the Biden administration was considering a ban on gas stoves.
The far-reaching admission was made by U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) commissioner Richard Trumka Jr.
Citing a December 2022 study, Trumka reportedly told Bloomberg that gas stove appliances are a “hidden hazard” that “can be banned.”
“Any option is on the table,” Trumka told the outlet during an interview.
“Products that can’t be made safe can be banned,” he asserted.
Manchin made note of the proposed rule while speaking on the floor.
“I just want to mention one last thing unrelated to our hearing topic today,” Manchin said.
“Gas, and I’ll repeat gas stoves have been in the news lately and I’ve come out strongly against the Consumer Product Safety Commission pursuing any ban of gas stoves.”
Manchin said he and Republican Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) are introducing legislation Thursday to ensure gas stoves aren’t banned.
“I’ve always been a proponent of energy efficiency,” he continued.
“But the draft rule proposes efficiency levels that DOE says at the highest level, up to 96% of gas stoves don’t currently meet.
“I don’t like where I think they’re going with this.
“And I’ll tell you one thing; they’re not taking my gas stove out,” Manchin said.
“And my wife and I would both be upset.
“The federal government doesn’t have any business telling American families how to cook their dinner.
“If there’s technology down the road, and as we transition into new technology, that’s fine, but basically retrofitting or removing stoves that people have had for years is not going to happen.”
WATCH:
BREAKING: Senator Manchin and Senator Cruz announce the Gas Stove Protection and Freedom Act.
‘They’re not taking my gas stove out!’ pic.twitter.com/MnD1d7jLTf
— Daniel Turner (@DanielTurnerPTF) February 2, 2023
After the West Virginia senator’s comments on the Senate floor, Manchin and Cruz introduced the Gas Stove Protection and Freedom Act on Thursday.
The bill would prevent the Consumer Product Safety Commission from regulating the banning of gas stoves.
READ MORE: World Economic Forum Behind Sudden Push to Ban Gas Stoves
