US President-elect Donald Trump has criticized the Biden administration's efforts to regulate gas-powered appliances and vowed to reverse those policies once he takes office.
President-elect Donald Trump Opposing the environmental regulations President Biden put in place when he left office, he pledged on Tuesday to reverse those policies when he takes office later this month.
At a Mar-a-Lago news conference, Trump derided Biden's promise of a smooth transition as “talk,” referring to a series of last-minute executive orders he announced before leaving the White House. On Monday, Biden banned new oil and gas drilling in U.S. coastal and offshore waters in an area that covers about 625 million acres. The Biden administration also announced new standards for gas water heaters that Trump criticized as “even worse” than the oil drilling ban.
“Another thing he did yesterday, which was worse in many ways—it's hard to believe it could be worse—he wants all the gas heaters out of your houses and apartments. He wants them with heaters. Trump said: I don't know what electricity is, this man loves electricity.
He went back from criticizing Biden's support for green energy to praising the virtues of gas heaters and showers without water flow restrictions, adding: “We will end the compulsion of electric cars.”
California begins the war against gas stoves with a proposed new law
President-elect Donald Trump delivers remarks at Mar-a-Lago on January 7, 2025 in Palm Beach, Florida. (Reuters/Carlos Barria/Reuters Photo)
Trump's comments come after a report indicated he is considering an executive order that would ban gas-burning appliances, including stoves and heaters, against federal and local lawmakers who want to phase out fossil fuels. protect
Democratic efforts to limit gas appliances have drawn criticism from Republicans in recent years.
Biden's 2023 administration sparked controversy after U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commissioner Richard Trumka Jr. suggested the government could ban gas stoves that allegedly produce pollutants. which causes respiratory and health problems.
Two sources familiar with Trump's thinking told Reuters that Trump's potential executive order reflects efforts by Congress to limit federal funding for state and local initiatives that limit gas appliances or impose regulations that increase their cost.
A flame burns on a gas stove in New York City on April 28, 2023. Starting in 2026, New York City will require new buildings to be zero-emissions and ban fossil fuel combustion in most new buildings, Gov. Cathy Hochul announced as part of this year's budget. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images) / Getty Images)
this Trump's transition team FOX Business did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Gas stoves, favored by cooks who like fast, high heat, have been targeted by progressives who want to curb climate change by limiting options for consumers, and Republicans like Trump and business groups who want free market decisions. They defend them.
“This speaks volumes when it takes a White House order to prevent bans on natural gas furnaces and natural gas water heaters,” Karen Harbert, president of the American Gas Association, an industry trade group, told Reuters in a statement. . “Despite illegal efforts to ban access and use of natural gas, our industry is working hard to keep life's essential energy affordable and reliable, especially in the extreme cold we are currently experiencing.”
Dozens of Democratic-controlled cities, including San Francisco and Berkeley, Calif., are seeking to restrict new buildings from using gas stoves as a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve indoor air quality. New York state passed a law last month that bans natural gas stoves and furnaces in most new buildings.
Consumer Watch Organization “No one comes for the gas stove”
President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden step off Air Force One after arriving in New Orleans on January 6, 2025. (Reuters/Kevin Lamarck TPX Images of the Day)
According to S&P Global, those efforts have been hit by legal challenges and red tape laws that prohibit local governments from restricting gas in buildings.
According to a 2020 report by the US Energy Information Administration, more than 75 million US households use natural gas for at least one appliance, mostly for home or water heating.
According to the survey, nearly two out of five American homes have a gas stove.
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Trump criticized electric appliances and water conservation as inefficient and inefficient, and described his opposition to Democratic climate policies as “common sense.”
“We're the party of common sense, and the things I'm going to tell you now are really all about common sense,” Trump said.
Fox News Digital's Aubrey Spuddy and Reuters contributed to this report.