Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is pressuring left-leaning group Climate Imperative Foundation for its role in recent efforts by the Consumer Product Safety Commission "to impose a de facto ban on gas stoves."
Cruz says CIF gave consumer advocacy group Consumer Reports $375,000, which was used to fund testing on gas stove emissions as featured in an Oct. 4 article that linked gas stoves to childhood asthma.
Commissioner Richard Trumka Jr., of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, cited the piece in an Oct. 25 memo where he proposed a ban on gas stoves, according to the Washington Examiner.
"While the Biden administration's efforts to extinguish gas stoves were only recently exposed, CIF announced this radical goal years ago," Cruz said Thursday in a letter to CIF Executive Director Bruce Nilles.
"In a 2019 New York Times opinion piece, you made a one-line directive to the American people: 'Your gas stove has to go.' You wrote such action was necessary because '[b]urning gas is now a bigger source of [climate-altering] pollution than burning coal,' and therefore 'to meet our climate goals,' gas connections 'will have to be capped off long before the end of their useful lives.'
"Perhaps realizing that CIF lacked support for eliminating gas stoves to fight climate change, CIF assisted on two 'reports' suggesting gas stoves posed significant health risks," he said.
According to a Consumer Reports statement: "Consumer Reports is not advocating for a ban on gas stoves. Last year, CR tested gas stoves for emissions, and found high levels of nitrogen oxide in some scenarios. We advised people how to reduce the risks with ventilation, like opening a window or installing a range hood.
"We also offer the pros and cons of going electric. Our tests and results are always completely independent from any outside organization or influence. At CR, we believe in consumer choice and providing people with the evidence they need to make the best decisions for their needs and lifestyle," the statement continued.
The Consumer Reports article came first.
CIF also "reviewed and provided valuable feedback to the April 11, 2022 'Emissions in the Kitchen' report prepared by NYU Law's Institute for Policy Integrity — a liberal think tank focused on climate and energy policy," Cruz added.
"CIF had previously given $230,000 in 2021 to NYU Law for a 'US buildings initiative.'"
Cruz said the commission's "blind reliance on Consumer Reports' gas stove pieces to support potential rulemaking is troubling" and "suggests that activist organizations may be coordinating with the Biden administration to eliminate fossil fuel use without authorization from Congress."
"What makes all this even more concerning is CIF's reported close ties to the Chinese communist government," he added.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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