Political

Biden’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is on a warpath to eliminate the gas industry. They have slowly begun heavily restricting items that we use on a daily basis. Two of those that are currently in the left’s crosshairs are our gas stoves and cars. With Republicans working hard to right those wrongs in Congress, they may have found a strange bedfellow who has made millions cooking on gas stoves. 

California, as always, is ahead of the game and has already implemented a gas stove ban. The city of Palo Alto revised its building codes to eliminate the installation of gas lines in new construction. This did not sit well with celebrity Chef José Andrés who owns thirty-one dining establishments across the United States. He received this news as the new location of his award-winning restaurant, Zaytinya, was being built in Palo Alto.  The developer’s attorney Anna Shimko, released a statement calling the new policy “unconstitutional” and saying:

Without a gas connection and appliances, Zaytinya would be forced to alter its signature five-star menu, which it is unwilling to do. Zaytinya cannot compromise the caliber of its cuisine and reputation, and if SPG [the property owner] cannot provide gas in Building EE, Zaytinya will likely choose not to locate within the City. This would be an unfortunate loss for the residents of Palo Alto, as well as a compensable loss for which SPG would be forced to seek redress.

City officials decided to give an exemption just this once. However, small businesses and individual residents may not have the resources or funds to fight this policy like Chef Andrés. Eagle Forum has invited Chef Andrés to join our petition calling on our nation’s leaders to save our stoves through legislative means.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee marked up two bills regarding the EPA’s push to eliminate gas stoves. Rep. Debbie Lesko’s (R-AZ) Save Our Gas Stoves Act (H.R. 1640) would keep the EPA from finalizing the proposed rule to ban gas stoves. Rep. Kelly Armstrong’s (R-ND) Gas Stove Protection and Freedom Act (H.R. 1615) ensures such a ban would not happen in the future by prohibiting federal funds from paying for this type of regulation on gas stoves. Additionally, members of the Energy and Commerce Committee are working on inserting this language in the upcoming appropriations bill.

Chef Andrés may not realize that he is going to take another hit from the EPA when it comes to food trucks. The most recent regulation that the EPA is forcing on the American people is known as the “toughest-ever” restriction on car emissions. The levels of emissions vary by car size, but on average, the new standards would prohibit over 82 grams of CO2 per mile which is a 56% reduction from the original 2026 standards. The EPA expects that companies will need to produce enough electric vehicles (or zero-emission vehicles) to make up 67% of their fleet by 2032 in order to meet the new requirements.

Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE) introduced a resolution to overturn this new rule (S.J. Res. 11).  This surprisingly passed the Senate by a vote of 50-49 and then passed the House by a vote of 221-203. These votes garnered a handful of Democrat breakaways from more rural states voting in favor of eliminating this rule.

The Biden administration shows, once again, that they are out of touch with every-day Americans. From cooking our family dinner to driving our kids to school or to our jobs, the left wants to push an aggressive and unnecessary agenda that we must pay for. You can make your voice heard on these important issues. Visit our website to join the petition to Save Our Stoves!