via naturalnews:
The Department of Energy (DOE) under the Biden administration has altered its course on a proposed rule for gas stoves after admitting the errors and inaccuracies in the analysis it issued with the original rule. DOE’s move comes following months of negotiations with companies and climate activist organizations.
The new rule issued on Jan. 29 made numerous key amendments to the original edict issued in February of last year, which had been broadly reported as a gas stove ban. Moreover, the new rule – set to take effect in 2028 – will not affect any cooking devices present on the market, but only future goods.
The approved rule permits extra-high input rate (HIR) burners and oversized cast-iron grates. It also raises the energy conservation standard for gas cooktops or gas ranges from 1,204 thousand British Thermal Units (BTUs) to 1,770 thousand BTUs each year.
Around 97 percent of gas cooking tops, 95 percent of electric standard ovens, 95 percent of electric self-clean ovens, 96 percent of gas standard ovens and 96 percent of gas self-clean ovens would meet or surpass the needed efficiency levels. Nevertheless, 23 percent of electric smooth element cooking tops would fall miserably.
The DOE estimated that the industry would need $66.7 million worth of investment to make their product comply with the recent standard. According to a projection by the department, acceptance of the latest rules would save consumers nearly $1.6 billion on their utility bills and decrease carbon dioxide emissions by about four million metric tons in the coming 30 years.
The revised rule is based on a September 2023 joint recommendation buy the following entities:
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- Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM)
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- American Council for an Energy-Efficiency Economy
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- Alliance for Water Efficiency
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- Appliance Standards Awareness Project
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- Consumer Federation of America
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- Consumer Reports
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- Earthjustice
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- National Consumer Law Center
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- Natural Resources Defense Council
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- Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance
The AHAM, which represents the manufacturers of household appliances sold in the U.S., lauded the latest rule. It noted that the revised edict will save energy, preserve cooking methods and features for home cooks and provide manufacturers flexibility.
“This standard is a win for consumers and energy savings,” said AHAM President and CEO Kelly Mariotti in a statement. “We thank [the] DOE for adopting the recommended levels and we ask [it] to follow this success with a speedy release of the test procedure associated with the new standard.”
DOE admits errors and inaccuracies in analysis
Under the DOE’s original February 2023 rule, 50 percent of gas stoves on the market would be affected. At the time, AHAM decried the Energy Department over the move and its “wrong” analysis. The DOE acknowledged this in the revised edict, noting the errors and inaccuracies in its original analysis.
“They have released the most stringent proposal for gas ranges, which only a sliver of the market can meet,” an AHAM spokesperson said at the time. “Clearly, the DOE’s intentions are to eliminate gas products from the market – and they should just say that instead of releasing a deceptive and flawed analysis to justify their proposal.” (Related: House passes bill to block Biden from banning gas stoves as Republicans push back against anti-fossil fuel policies.)
In May 2023, the DOE clarified that the federal government has no plan to ban gas stoves. It also announced that it will amend the proposed rule to ensure flexibility – which came to fruition with the rule issued Jan. 29. “Claims that the federal government is banning gas stoves are absurd,” the department’s website stated.
Follow GreenTyranny.news for more news about the plan to ban gas appliances.
Watch Next News Network‘s Elijah Schaffer discuss how the Biden administration’s crackdown on gas stoves has been met with a huge backlash from Americans.