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EXCLUSIVE: A new congressional resolution introduced by the GOP could block the president Biden’s recent ban on natural gas water heaters, Fox News Digital has learned.
In the waning days of the Biden administrationthe Department of Energy (DOE) announced a new rule banning non-condensing natural gas water heaters by 2029 in an effort to reduce carbon emissions. Republicans in Congress, however, are looking to intervene.
On Wednesday, Rep. Gary Palmer, R-Ala., introduced a Congressional Review Act (CRA), which would allow Congress to overturn rules promulgated by federal agencies to circumvent government crackdowns, first shared with Fox News Digital.
“It’s a sweeping ban on water heaters. Another example of government overreach under the Biden administration right out the door. They don’t care about consumers,” Palmer told Fox News Digital in a exclusive interview
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Rep. Gary Palmer, R-Ala., leaves a House Republican Conference meeting at the Capitol Hill Club on Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024. (Tom Williams)
Proponents of Biden’s regulation, such as the Appliance Standards Awareness Project (ASAP), suggest it will eliminate 32 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions from water heaters sold over 30 years.
But Palmer said it will have serious economic implications for American workers, given how much a household would have to pay out of pocket for a new water heater that complies with the rule.
The Alabama congressman expressed confidence that the CRA will pass in the House, as several other Republican lawmakers have signed on as sponsors.
Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., one of the CRA’s co-sponsors, told Fox that “Joe Biden’s latest effort to ban gas water heaters in his last days in office is nothing more than another green energy scam.”
President Biden speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington on January 10. (AP/Ben Curtis)
“This latest assault on American consumers is not about saving the planet; it’s about control, driving up costs and forcing a radical and unsustainable agenda into every home,” Burlison said in a statement shared with Fox News Digital. “It’s time we stand up against this tyranny of regulations and protect the freedoms and choices of the American people.”
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Other Republican co-sponsors include Reps. Julia Letlow of Louisiana, Mike Collins of Georgia, Randy Weber of Texas, Stephanie Bice of Oklahoma, Barry Moore of Alabama, Andy Ogles of Tennessee, Claudia Tenney of New York, Russ Fulcher of Idaho, Jack Bergman of Michigan, Dan Crenshaw of Texas, Michelle Fischbach of Minnesota, Jeff Hurd of Colorado and Jim Baird of Indiana.
The National Propane Gas Association also supports overturning the ban, telling Fox it “threatens to wipe out the market for non-condensing instantaneous gas water heaters.”
John G. Webster Heating, Cooling and Plumbing Company technicians Angel Gomez (L) and Franes Mendez remove a gas water heater from a home in Washington, DC on August 28, 2024. (Bastien Inzaurralde)
“This rule would force families to replace their existing equipment with unnecessary expensive retrofits, imposing an undue financial burden for a marginal level of energy savings and questionable economic benefits,” said Steve Kaminski, president and CEO of the National Propane Gas Association on Fox News Digital. .
Biden has introduced regulations on different household appliances during their tenure, such as washing machines, gas stoves and ceiling fans.
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But the Republican-controlled Congress will be “very aggressive in rolling back” some of the regulations that evolved under Biden. climate agenda, Palmer said.
