Gas stoves debate explodes in Washington

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Jan 12, 2023 View in browser   By Arianna Skibell Blue flames rise from a natural gas stove. | Sean Gallup/Getty Images Sometimes it takes just a hint of gas to cause a massive flame. That's what happened this week after a federal appointee floated a hypothetical ban on gas stoves. The comment ignited a swift backlash from Republicans — prompting some in the GOP to vow to defend their fossil-fuel-powered appliances with their lives, while conservative publications ran headlines like "Biden's War on Gas Stoves." Never mind that President Joe Biden and his agencies aren't proposing any stove bans (although a number of liberal state and city governments are). In a matter of days, those blue-flamed cooktops have become emblems of the partisan battle over the future of the nation's energy. Add them to the GOP's long-running list of icons of American life they say Democrats are gunning to outlaw or ruin, from incandescent light bulbs and standard toilets to hamburger meat and cars and trucks. "I'll NEVER give up my gas stove," tweeted Republican Rep. Ronny Jackson of Texas, the former presidential physician. "If the maniacs in the White House come for my stove, they can pry it from my cold dead hands. COME AND TAKE IT!!" "First, the liberals came for our light bulbs," tweeted former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R), an ex-Trump administration official and potential White House contender. "Then, they came for our cars. Now, they're coming for our stoves." What's really going on? The brouhaha kicked up after a peer-reviewed study in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found that 12.7 percent of childhood asthma cases in the United States can be attributed to gas-burning stoves. A member of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which regulates dangerous household items, then told Bloomberg that a ban on gas stoves should be on the table. "Products that can't be made safe can be banned," said Richard Trumka Jr., a Biden nominee who joined the commission in 2021. But as POLITICO's E&E News reporter Ariel Wittenberg reported, Trumka withdrew a proposal to regulate gas stoves last fall after it failed to gain support from his four fellow commissioners. Instead, the commission voted to gather "public input on hazards associated with gas stoves." Chair Alexander Hoehn-Saric disavowed any ban notions Wednesday, saying: "I am not looking to ban gas stoves and the CPSC has no proceeding to do so." As for Biden, "the President does not support banning gas stoves," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters. The real war on gas This much is true, though: Dozens of local governments either have moved or are moving to decrease their carbon footprints by prohibiting natural gas hookups in new buildings, which would bar both gas stoves and furnaces. Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has also joined the trend, calling this week for the nation's most aggressive ban on fossil fuels in new buildings. Buildings account for 40 percent of planet-warming pollution in the U.S., making the sector a prime target for cuts. And that means the stove wars are unlikely to burn out anytime soon.   It's Thursday — thank you for tuning in to POLITICO's Power Switch. I'm your host, Arianna Skibell. Power Switch is brought to you by the journalists behind E&E News and POLITICO Energy. Send your tips, comments, questions to askibell@eenews.net. Listen to today's POLITICO Energy podcast Today in POLITICO Energy's podcast: Kelsey Tamborrino breaks down the constraints faced by clean energy companies that are investing billion of dollars to build out the sector's domestic manufacturing. electric future Hummers sitting on a lot in Libertyville, Illinois. | Scott Olson/Getty Images When General Motors decided to go all-electric in 2020, the automobile giant started with the Hummer. The company hoped an all-electric Hummer vehicle would appeal to both environmentalists and monster car enthusiasts alike, writes David Ferris. But the Hummer is once again creating divisions and igniting a new debate over how big and powerful an EV ought to be. And importantly, the criticisms against it could also be leveled against other big trucks and SUVs that are key to automakers' electrification plans. Power Centers Deidre Helberg, CEO of Helberg Electrical Supplies, hopes the emerging offshore wind industry will provide opportunities for people of color. | DeWayne Holley Offshore wind & diversity President Joe Biden and Northeastern governors have sold offshore wind as a way to green the power sector and create jobs, particularly in communities of color that have been overburdened by pollution, writes Benjamin Storrow. But renewable energy's track record is mixed. The percentage of Latino and Asian people who work in the wind industry eclipse their numbers in the national workforce. Black people, by contrast, accounted for only 7 percent of the wind workforce in 2020. Zinke's back Former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is eager to use his perch in Congress to fight against a government "deep state" that he says has tried to keep him out of power and wants to "wipe out the American cowboy," write Robin Bravender and Timothy Cama. Zinke, a Montana Republican who served in the Trump administration and returned to the House this month, gave a speech Tuesday praising a GOP-led panel set up to investigate "the weaponization of the federal government." Jackpot! Europe's largest known deposit of rare earth elements — key for building electric vehicle batteries and wind turbines — has been discovered in northern Sweden, writes Antonia Zimmermann. The discovery could turbocharge Europe's clean energy industry. No rare earth elements are currently mined in Europe, and China provides nearly 98 percent of the EU's supply. in other news A data center in Hamburg, Germany. | Morris MacMatzen/Getty Images Technology: Why we all should consider the carbon footprint of "dark data." Greenwashing: The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is weighing stiff penalties for deceptive "green" marketing. Subscriber Zone A showcase of some of our best subscriber content. An iceberg floats in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images Oceans hit their warmest levels on record for the fourth consecutive year in 2022, an ominous sign of the speed at which the world is warming. Democratic lawmakers in Illinois took what they said is a necessary, if controversial step to ensure the state meets its clean energy targets. European countries imported unprecedented quantities of diesel fuel in December as buyers rush to secure supplies ahead of an EU ban on Russian oil products. That's it for today, folks! Thanks for reading.   Follow us on Twitter Arianna Skibell @ariannaskibell   Follow us

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