The Biden administration has proposed a rule that would restrict new portable gas generators in the U.S., an escalation in the administration’s regulatory assault on appliances.
The proposed Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) rule would impose tight carbon monoxide emissions standards on new portable gas generators of all sizes and a requirement that generators turn off when certain amounts of emissions are reached. The proposed rule follows the Biden administration’s attempt to heavily regulate gas stoves and a 2021 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule targeting refrigerants used in air conditioners and fridges.
The rule would require smaller gas generators to cut their carbon monoxide emissions by 50%, and it would force larger models to slice their emissions by up to 95%, according to the rule proposal. Manufacturers will have six months to design and produce new models that abide by the new rule if it is finalized, a process which typically takes years, said Portable Generator Manufacturers’ Association Executive Director Susan Orenga, according to The Washington Free Beacon.
Proposed safety standards for portable generators from the Consumer Product Safety Commission will have negative effects on engine-driven portable welder manufacturers and the NEW welders who rely on this equipment. Rep. Gallagher led the following letter detailing his concerns. pic.twitter.com/RBCvJYxag3
— Rep. Gallagher Press Office (@RepGallagher) July 7, 2023
The CPSC proposed the rule on the grounds that gas portable generators can be unsafe. There have been no more than 103 gas generator-related carbon monoxide deaths in a single year since 2004, according to CPSC data cited in the rule proposal.
“The draft proposed rule is likely to have a significant adverse economic impact on only one of four identified small manufacturers of portable generators,” according to the proposal. “It is unlikely to have a significant direct impact on small portable generator importers.”
Gas-powered portable generators are useful for creating power in emergencies and on construction sites, according to MyGenerator. Nearly five million American households make use of portable gas generators, according to the Beacon.
The administration’s newest attempted regulatory clampdown on generators follows a May report from the North American Energy Reliability Corporation, which warned that nearly two-thirds of the American population may face elevated risks of blackouts this summer.
CPSC Commissioner Richard Trumka, Jr. said in January that gas stove pollution “is a hidden hazard,” adding that “any option is on the table” when it comes to regulating consumer goods perceived as unsafe, according to Bloomberg News. “Products that can’t be made safe can be banned.”
Suggestions from the CPSC that the organization would look into banning gas stoves followed or coincided with the release of studies that have drawn scrutiny for their connections to environmentalist funders.
The White House did not respond immediately to requests for comment. The CPSC pointed the DCNF to the proposed rule document when contacted, and declined an opportunity to provide further comment.
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