Op-ed: Rep. Kelly Armstrong: There are too many cooks in the kitchen. Here’s why the Department of Energy must reverse its decision to ban gas stoves

Where I’m from in Western North Dakota, we’re no strangers to the cold. 

When the grid goes down in a blizzard, gas keeps families fed and homes from freezing. It’s not about luxury — it’s about survival. Families can’t afford to rely on something that works almost all of the time. 

For my constituents, it is life or death. 

Despite what pundits at CNN, in the White House, or at the Washington Post will tell you about how the Biden-Harris Administration is “not” coming for your gas stove, the Department of Energy (DOE) moved forward last week and rolled out a “direct final rulemaking” that would further regulate and limit gas appliances.  

This decision means that the new energy conservation standards will cap the amount of energy gas stoves can consume each year. The DOE claims that this ruling will save Americans money in the long run and improve our environment. But in actuality, this ruling will eliminate fossil fuels and the millions of jobs they support, regulate how individuals decide to use their energy, and dictate what can and cannot consume certain energy levels. 

Though this new direct final rule is a watered-down version of the previous ruling announced in 2023, it is still a clear step by the Biden-Harris Administration to wipe out gas stoves completely. 

Last year, the Biden-Harris Administration’s appointed Commissioner of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Richard L. Trumka Jr., made repeated statements that the commission would consider substantial regulatory actions on gas stoves categorically. 

In response, I introduced H.R. 1615, the Gas Stove Protection and Freedom Act. The bill barred CPSC from using federal funds to regulate gas stoves as a banned hazardous product. The bill also prevented the CPSC from imposing consumer product safety standards that would result in a prohibition on gas stoves or otherwise substantially increase the price.  

It passed the House of Representatives with a final bipartisan vote of 248-180. 

However, last week’s decision to cap energy usage essentially reversed the progress we made to protect how and what appliances we use to cook our food. 

The DOE’s decision to ban our gas stoves is out of touch and Congress must work to unmask the true motivations of the Biden-Harris administration and, more importantly, we must stop the climate extremists’ rush to green agenda and protect the millions of jobs in the fossil fuels industry.