President-elect Donald Trump is considering an executive order to protect gas-fueled appliances like stoves and heaters. The executive order would shield the appliances from regulations designed to phase them out of American homes and businesses, according to what two sources familiar with Trump’s plans told Reuters on Tuesday, Jan. 7.
Republican leaders including President-elect Trump have criticized local Democratic efforts to reduce the use of gas-powered appliances in construction projects over concerns about climate change and people’s health.
At least one federal study looked into a potential link between respiratory conditions such as asthma and gas-fueled appliances.
Dozens of Democrat-run cities, including San Francisco and Berkeley, California, have tried to limit the use of gas stoves in new buildings in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
New York state also approved a law in December that bans natural gas stoves and furnaces from most new buildings.
However, those efforts have faced legal challenges.
Berkeley, the first city to pass such a ban, was blocked from enacting the rule by a federal court in 2023 and repealed the law last year.
In protest of the regulations, at least 20 Republican-led states have passed legislation outlawing local governments from banning natural gas appliances in buildings.
Meanwhile, details of Trump’s potential executive order are still unclear.
The sources told Reuters that the order may be similar to efforts in Congress to limit federal dollars going toward state and local measures to limit or impose regulations on gas-powered devices that increase their cost.
According to the latest numbers from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, more than 75 million American households use natural gas for at least one appliance. Natural gas is used mostly for heat and hot water.
The survey by the administration also found that 2 out of every 5 American homes have a gas stove.
