Trump hits Biden on last-minute energy crackdown, promises day 1 reversal
President-elect Donald Trump railed against environmental regulations enacted by President Biden on his way out of office, vowing on Tuesday to reverse those policies when he assumes office later this month.
At a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, Trump derided Biden's pledge to have a smooth transition as just "talk," pointing to a series of last-minute executive orders Biden announced before he leaves the White House. On Monday, Biden placed a permanent ban on new oil and gas drilling across U.S. coastal and offshore waters in an area that spans about 625 million acres. The Biden administration also announced new standards for gas water heaters that Trump criticized as even "worse" than the oil drilling ban.
"One other thing he did yesterday, which in many ways was worse – it's hard to believe it can be worse – he wants all gas heaters out of your homes and apartments. He wants them to be replaced by essentially electric heaters. I don't know what it is with electric, this guy loves electric," Trump said.
"We're going to be ending the electric car mandate," he added, as he bounced from criticizing Biden's support for green energy to extolling the virtues of gas heaters and showers without water flow restrictors.
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Trump's comments come after a report indicated he is weighing an executive order that will protect gas-powered appliances, including stoves and heaters, from federal and local regulators who want to phase out fossil fuels.
Democratic efforts to limit gas-powered appliances have come under fire from Republicans in recent years.
The Biden administration sparked controversy in 2023 after U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commissioner Richard Trumka Jr. suggested that the government could ban gas stoves, which are claimed to emit pollutants that cause respiratory and health issues.
Two sources reportedly familiar with Trump's thinking told Reuters that Trump's potential executive order would mirror congressional efforts to limit federal funding for state and local initiatives that restrict gas-powered appliances or impose regulations that would increase their cost.
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The Trump transition team did not immediately respond to FOX Business' request for comment.
Gas-powered stoves, favored by cooks who like fast, high heat, have been targeted by progressives who want to curb climate change by limiting options for consumers and defended by Republicans like Trump and business groups who want free markets to decide.
"It speaks volumes when an order from the White House is needed to stop our own government from banning natural gas furnaces and water heaters," Karen Harbert, president of the American Gas Association, an industry trade group, said in a statement, per Reuters. "Despite the illegal efforts to ban access and use of natural gas, our industry is hard at work to keep life essential energy affordable and reliable especially during the extreme cold we are experiencing right now."
Dozens of Democrat-controlled cities, including San Francisco and Berkeley, California, have sought to restrict new buildings from using gas stoves as a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve indoor air quality. New York state approved a law last month banning natural gas stoves and furnaces in most new buildings.
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These efforts have been targeted by GOP-led legal challenges and laws passed in red states that prohibit local governments from restricting gas in buildings, according to S&P Global.
More than 75 million U.S. households use natural gas for at least one appliance, mostly for home or water heat, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration in 2020.
Roughly two out of every five American homes have a gas stove, according to the survey.
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Trump criticized electric and water-saving appliances as inefficient and ineffective, framing his opposition to Democratic climate policies as "common sense."
"We're a party of common sense, and the things I'm telling you now is really all about common sense," Trump said.
Fox News Digital's Aubry Spady and Reuters contributed to this report.