Wicker, Hyde-Smith oppose gas stove ban, press agency for clarification

U.S. Senators Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) on Friday expressed their strong opposition to a suggested federal ban on gas stoves and pressed the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) for clarification of the agency’s regulatory outlook.

Wicker and Hyde-Smith are among 10 Senators who wrote CPSC Chairman Alexander Hoehn-Saric to express opposition to banning gas ranges, a notion that has support within the agency. The letter requests information on potential CPSC regulation of gas stoves.

“We write to express our strong opposition to reporting that certain members of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) may seek an outright ban on gas ranges and stoves,” the Senators wrote. “We were pleased to see your statement from January 11, 2023, that you are ‘not looking to ban gas stoves’ at this time. However, given the uncertainties that Commissioner Trumka’s comments have created, it is our hope that by getting additional information, we can better understand how the CPSC plans to move forward on this issue.”

Noting that more than a third of U.S. households use gas stoves, the Senators said a ban would likely lead to higher utility costs for consumers and expose them to the higher risk of cooking fires associated with electric ranges.

“Like the CPSC, our desire is to ensure that consumer products are as safe as possible,” the Senators wrote. “However, we remain concerned about regulatory overreach from federal agencies.”

“Rather than pursuing this outright ban, we believe it would be most appropriate for the CPSC to gather additional information on the scope of the problem and, if appropriate, work with manufacturers to ensure that these stoves are as safe as possible,” they continued.

U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) led the letter, which was also signed by Senators James Risch (R-Idaho), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa.).