Akron Reporter

WASHINGTON, D.C. —This week, U.S. Representative Emilia Strong Sykes (OH-13) voted ‘no’ on House Republicans’ H.R. 1615 and H.R. 1640. H.R. 1615 would make it more difficult for the Consumer Product Safety Commission to study and address the potential hazards posed to our children by gas stove emissions, while H.R. 1640 would prevent the U.S. Department of Energy from finalizing an efficiency standard that would save Ohio families money on their energy bills.

“As your Congresswoman, I am committed to keeping the people of Ohio’s 13th District safe and putting more money back into your pockets. I voted against H.R. 1640 and H.R. 1615 because these silly partisan bills do nothing to reduce the cost of Ohioans’ monthly energy bills,” said Rep. Sykes. “There are real concerns people have in Ohio’s 13th District, and playing politics is not what I was sent here to do. I will continue to put people before politics, to improve the health and safety of our communities and reduce costs for hardworking people in Ohio’s 13th District.”

H.R. 1615 prohibits the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) from using federal funds to regulate gas stoves as a banned hazardous product, or issue or enforce a product safety standard that prohibits the use or sale of gas stoves or substantially increases their price.

Legitimate concerns have been raised about the health impact, particularly on children, of the nitrogen dioxide emitted by gas stoves. Observational studies have found that children living in households that use gas stoves are 42 percent more likely to have asthma. In December 2022, CPSC issued a recall on a specific gas stove product that was found to be a serious risk of injury or death from carbon monoxide poisoning. H.R. 1615 would prohibit CPSC from using its rulemaking authority to ban all such hazardous products to protect Americans.

H.R. 1640 prohibits the Secretary of Energy from finalizing or enforcing a February 2023 proposed rule that would improve the efficiency of electric and gas stoves, ultimately saving families money on their energy bills. It is estimated the Department of Energy’s energy efficiency standard for gas and electric stoves will save consumers as much as $1.71 billion and slash nearly 22 million metric tons of carbon dioxide and 245,000 tons of methane.

H.R. 1615 and H.R. 1640 both passed the U.S. House of Representatives and await consideration in the U.S. Senate.

Original source can be found here.