Washington, D.C. - Congresswoman Michelle Fischbach (MN-07), Congressman Pat (TX-04) Fallon, and Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) introduced a Congressional Review Act (CRA) to repeal the Biden's Department of Energy's (DOE) Final Rule to ban gas furnaces.
"The Biden Administration is once again bending to the will of the extreme Green New Deal agenda," said Rep. Fischbach. "The Department of Energy wants to ask working class Americans with gas furnaces to replace them with electrical ones, limiting choices, further burdening the electrical grid, and unnecessarily costing families thousands of dollars. The far-Left is trying to force their agenda by any means possible, including directly into the homes of the American people. My colleagues and I will do everything we can to keep that from happening."
Rep. Pat Fallon commented, “Once again, Biden Administration bureaucrats want to make life harder for Americans simply because of the way they wish to heat their homes. This new gas furnaces rule will no doubt increase the cost of living for more than half of the country. I wholeheartedly oppose this proposal by the Biden DOE. Not only would this measure be imposed upon Americans via unelected bureaucrats, it runs counter to our nation’s strong tradition of freedom from government overreach.”
“This administration doesn’t care that their radical climate agenda will have a catastrophic impact on American families and small businesses. I’m committed to doing everything in my power to push back against this rule that puts the radical left’s fringe climate agenda before the needs of the American people," said Senator Ted Cruz.
The National Propane Gas Association (NPGA) and the American Public Gas Association (APGA) endorse this bill:
“NPGA and its members oppose the Department of Energy's proposed efficiency standards, citing the agency's failure to present clear and convincing evidence. The association supports any Congressional action to push back against these efforts and to enact legislation or compel DOE to create two separate product classes — condensing and non-condensing appliances — to preserve consumer choice and availability," said Steve Kaminski, President and CEO of NPGA.
"APGA appreciates that Representatives Fischbach and Fallon took action to roll back a greatly flawed Department of Energy (DOE) rulemaking that finalized a new minimum efficiency standard for residential gas furnaces. The rule wrongfully drives costly fuel switching, as it bans a popular appliance technology — non-condensing furnaces — from the market. Without access to this technology, many consumers will be forced to replace their furnaces with costly retrofits, if even possible, or switch to electric alternatives. This policy is especially concerning for vulnerable, underserved communities, potentially forcing them to shift to electric furnaces, which are less affordable and efficient than the direct use of natural gas," said Stuart Saulters, Vice President of Government Relations for APGA.
Background: Under the Administration's rule, manufacturers could only sell furnaces that convert at least 95% of fuel into heat within six years. The National Propane Gas Association estimates that this rule would remove up to 60% of current residential furnaces from the market. Replacing these furnaces is not just as simple as buying a new electric furnace. Gas furnaces use vastly different venting systems from electrical furnaces. DOE estimates that the real cost of installing a new non-condensing furnace could be as high as $6,336.
