Natural GAS Act sponsored by Bice

To address the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) effort to eliminate gas appliances,  U.S. Rep. Stephanie Bice (R-OK) recently sponsored legislation that would modify standards for water heaters, furnaces, boilers, and kitchen cooktops, ranges, and ovens.

“My legislation will stop Biden’s Department of Energy from banning natural gas appliances, which provide a safe, reliable, and affordable energy source for nearly 187 million Americans,” Rep. Bice said on Monday. “The natural gas industry plays a vital role in Oklahoma providing billions in economic impact for the state and over 100,000 jobs. I remain committed to reining in the overreaches of the executive branch.”

Rep. Bice on June 30 sponsored the Natural Gas Appliances Standards Act of 2023, also known as the Natural GAS Act, H.R. 4395, alongside lead original cosponsor U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar (R-MI).

If enacted, H.R. 4395 would require that DOE certify that any stove, water heater, or furnace energy efficiency rule would not result in fuel switching from natural gas to electric appliances, according to a bill summary provided by Rep. Bice’s office.

Additionally, H.R. 4395 would specify that DOE may not put forward a rule that would limit the features of gas stoves, such as quick boil times, number and size of burners, and design of grates and would exempt small manufacturers from future energy efficiency rulemakings for stoves, water heaters, and furnaces, the summary says.

The measure also would require that existing energy efficiency labels displayed at the point of sale disclose full-fuel-cycle efficiency, an analysis that considers energy consumed to extract and transport fuels, energy losses in power generation, and energy losses in transmission and transportation, states the summary.

The bill is supported by the Petroleum Alliance of Oklahoma, the American Gas Association, and the American Petroleum Institute and has been referred for consideration to the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee.

U.S. Sens. John Hoeven (R-ND) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) introduced companion legislation in their chamber.