West
Experts rip 'triple crown of bad regs' as Biden admin posts gas stove rule it denied was a ban
After repeatedly denying that it wants to formally ban natural gas-powered stoves, the Energy Department posted to the Federal Register its finalized regulation targeting kitchen appliances.
Critics from Congress to energy advocacy groups slammed the new rule, which administration officials have long denied would constitute a ban.
But American Energy Alliance president Tom Pyle said it nonetheless wins the “Triple Crown for bad regulations.”
“It’s ineffective, unnecessary, and likely illegal,” Pyle said, going on to acknowledge that the administration had watered down the original 2023-drafted policy.
BIDEN ADMIN BACKS OFF GAS STOVE CRACKDOWN AFTER WIDESPREAD PUSHBACK
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
“After receiving severe backlash for moving to ban gas stoves, the Biden-Harris administration settled for this rule, which they claim would lower costs for families. Of course, what they don’t tell you is their so-called savings is a mere 21 cents a year.”
Pyle said that if Democrats continue to hold power, the rule will be a “mere down payment” on future regulatory overreach that will try to control other mundane aspects of daily life like cooking.
“American consumers [are] fully capable of choosing the appliances that best suit their needs,” he said.
The Department of Energy, however, defended the regulation — including against claims that it had waffled on the matter.
A spokesman said the rule posted to the Federal Register mirrors the regulation devised earlier in the year, and that this final rule has the support of groups like the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers.
A spokesman for the Energy Department it is “building on decades-long efforts with industry to ensure our appliances work more efficiently and save Americans money.”
“When you look past misleading rhetoric, you’ll see that our appliance standards actions are intended for nothing more than promoting innovation and increasing energy efficiency without sacrificing the reliability and performance that Americans have come to expect and rely on,” they said.
However, lawmakers who have tried to blunt “bans” or regulations on home appliances and other implements that require fossil fuel power were not convinced of the new rule’s benefits.
In 2023, Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., successfully drafted an amendment to an energy bill that would prohibit Secretary Jennifer Granholm’s department from implementing the original energy standard for cooktops.
“If this draconian rule were carried out, it would eliminate anywhere between 50-95% of today’s gas appliances,” Newhouse said at the time.
WHITE HOUSE FINALIZES RULE INCREASING CLEAN ENERGY SUBSIDIES FIVEFOLD IN BID TO SUPPORT GREEN JOBS
President Biden. (Getty Images)
“Gas appliances are at the center of American households. They power our stoves, furnaces, water heaters and fireplaces,” he said, calling natural gas “affordable, reliable and safe.”
On Thursday, a spokesman for Newhouse said the lawmaker’s efforts were a “leading factor” in having the original rule rescinded and revised to its current form.
“While this new rule will still require strenuous federal oversight by Congress, it does prevent states like California and Washington from implementing sweeping, radical rules that are completely unreasonable for consumers and producers and will only pave the way for other states to follow,” the spokesman said.
Rep. Kelly Armstrong, R-N.D., whose Gas Stove Protection & Freedom Act passed the House but has languished in the Senate for a year, called the new rule being posted “incredibly frustrating and out of touch.”
“Americans are concerned about the fentanyl crisis that is crippling communities, and many Americans are worried about being able to provide for their families and put food on the table. Instead of considering the immediate needs of many Americans, the administration has chosen to prioritize attacking gas stoves to appease climate extremists,” Armstrong said, adding that it shows that the administration wants to control every aspect of life.
Heritage Action for America Vice President Ryan Walker said the Department of Energy is “villanizing natural gas” despite its affordability and clean-burning qualities.
“After insisting they had no plans to ban gas stoves, the Biden-Harris administration just plowed ahead with its new rule that may price the hugely popular appliances out of existence,” Walker said, adding, “The Left only cares about virtue signaling and pandering to their extreme base, not the hardworking Americans trying to make ends meet and put food on the table. The next conservative administration can and should reverse the Biden-Harris appliance crackdown.”
Democrats who were either vociferously opposed to Republican efforts to blunt regulations or in favor of such rules did not offer reaction to the news.
Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Washington. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-N.J., the ranking member on the House Energy & Commerce Committee, said of 2023 efforts to stop such regulation, “House Republicans are once again putting polluters over people.”
Pallone did not respond to a request for comment.
Neither did Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, D-Pa., who previously called cost-related concerns about forcing Americans off natural gas a “conspiracy theory cooked up to embroil Congress in culture wars that shed more heat than light on the issues facing our nation.”
The Philadelphia lawmaker said in 2023 the rule proposed at the time would save consumers $1.7 billion collectively.
One longtime Democrat did, however, speak out against the original 2023 draft of the rule, as Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.V., said the feds “have no business telling American families how to cook their dinner.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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San Francisco, CA
Missing woman last seen in San Francisco found dead in Texas after 53 years
On Wednesday, San Francisco police closed the case of a missing woman who was last seen in the city in 1973.
Police said 27-year-old Cheryl Lanier was last seen in 1973 in San Francisco, and her initial missing person’s report was filed in 2010. For years, the department’s Missing Person Unit worked on the case, but it remained open and unsolved.
In July 2025, police said they received a tip out of Harris County in Houston, Texas, advising that a deceased “Jane Doe” could be Lanier. After a DNA analysis, police determined the “Jane Doe” was Lanier and closed the case after 53 years.
Denver, CO
Could the Dolphins Do Another Deal With Denver?
As the NFL draft moves farther into the rearview mirror and the offseason program continues to march on, linebacker Jordyn Brooks remains one of three significant Miami Dolphins veterans looking for a contract extension.
And while new GM Jon-Eric Sullivan said at draft time that running back De’Von Achane was not available for trading purposes, he hasn’t made the same declaration for either Brooks or center Aaron Brewer (while it’s fair to add that Sullivan wasn’t asked specifically about the latter two at draft time, he easily could have ended all speculation by adding them to Achane’s name).
Instead, what we have are Sullivan’s prior words that he always would listen if another GM were to give him a call.
That’s important to remember when it comes to Brooks when we hear or see reports around the league about teams in the market for a linebacker.
The Dallas Cowboys were one such team heading into the draft, but they acquired former starting San Francisco 49ers starter Dee Winters for a fifth-round pick, so it would seem they’re not longer shopping around.
Now comes a report that the Denver Broncos could be looking to add a linebacker to a defense they believe could lead them to a Super Bowl after they secured the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs last year before losing starting QB Bo Nix in the divisional round.
An NFL executive told Denver Broncos On SI that they could be looking to make a move that seemed to describe the Dolphins and Brooks to a T.
“The Broncos, I am certain, are going to be watching every cut for a terrific linebacker who can upgrade that,” the executive told Broncos On SI. “It’s the only weak link on their defense. If they could get one dominant player that another team couldn’t afford or doesn’t want to pay because they’re not in contention, they could be scary next year.”
The key line in the executive’s quote was about a dominant player that a team doesn’t want to pay because they’re not in contention.
Wow, might as well have stamped Brooks’ picture on that comment right there.
Brooks was dominant last year, for sure, when he earned All-Pro honors and it’s not realistic to expect the Dolphins to be in contention in 2026 after their roster overhaul that ended with more than 60 percent of the team’s salary cap going to players no longer around.
Under normal circumstances, extending Brooks would look like a no-brainer for the Dolphins given his ability, leadership and culture-setting characteristics, but he’s looking for a payday and he’s also going to be 29 years old during the 2026 season.
So instead of a slam dunk, the Dolphins have to ask themselves have kind of financial commitment they want to make to a linebacker who likely will be in his 30s when the team is ready to compete.
Brooks has no guarantees this year with a $7.8 million base salary and he’s set to become a free agent next offseason when his contract goes into void years. If a move were to happen with Brooks, it almost assuredly would take place after June 1 when the Dolphins would save $8.4 million with a trade.
Brooks currently has a $10.9 million cap number for 2026 and an extension likely would lower that number, which makes it very intriguing that it hasn’t happened yet or that the Dolphins did not restructure his contract to lower his cap number — the way they did with Achane and Brewer.
But any decision to trade Brooks would not be easy because the Dolphins, after all, do need good players and good leaders to establish a foundation in the first year of the Jon-Eric Sullivan/Jeff Hafley regime.
WHAT A TRADE COULD LOOK LIKE
If the Broncos indeed were to place a phone call to Sullivan at some point, there probably isn’t a strong likelihood that the Dolphins could get a replay of what they got when they sent wide receiver Jaylen Waddle to Denver this year.
That deal saw Miami give up Waddle for picks in the first and third rounds, with the teams swapping fourth-round choices to the benefit of the Broncos for 19 spots.
But Waddle is only 27, was under contract for three more years and plays a more premium position.
So thinking about getting a first-round pick for Brooks would not seem realistic, though maybe Denver would be willing to pay a bigger price if the Broncos indeed feel that the linebacker could be the final piece to a Super Bowl puzzle.
As was the case with the Cowboys, this is a situation to monitor because the idea of a trade involving Brooks really can’t be summarily dismissed until he signs a contract extension and we’re still waiting on that.
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Seattle, WA
Who will be the next Seahawks owner? One possible bidder invests in the 49ers
The Seattle Seahawks’ new ownership group may be just like the old one: a team of basketball owners.
In addition to being the first known bidders for the Seahawks, Mittal and Grousbeck were the only names listed on their letter of interest to the Allen Estate. Since Mittal lives in London, Grousbeck would likely be running operations from Seattle and live there part-time, as per Sportico.
But wait, there’s more.
Vinod Khosla, an investor in the division rival San Francisco 49ers, has also been named as a potential buyer. Last year, Khosla was one of a few nearby investors to purchase equity in the 49ers, with the team’s total valuation reaching north of $8.5 billion at the time. The specifics of the individual stakes were not made public, but Sportico reports that Khosla’s was the largest of the group.
The Seahawks are valued at just under $7 billion, but they will likely be sold for more. If Khosla were to purchase the team from Jody Allen, he would obviously need to sell his stake in the Niners. This type of move is becoming increasingly common in today’s NFL, which has seen former Pittsburgh Steelers minority owners David Tepper and Josh Harris acquire the Panthers and Commanders, respectively.
Harris, who bought a controlling interest in the Commanders in 2023, purchased the team from Dan Snyder for over $6 billion, the largest figure for such an acquisition for an NFL franchise. No matter who ends up purchasing the Seahawks from the Allen Estate, Harris’s record will surely be broken.
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