The Biden administration is trying to pass a rule that would make it illegal to produce portable gas generators for sale in the United States. While 95 percent of portable gas generators on the market may not meet the new criteria set by the Consumer Device Safety Commission, the commission has suggested a regulation restricting the quantity of carbon monoxide a device may produce.
Because manufacturers only have six months to create generators that meet the new requirement, industry leaders warn the law would cause widespread generator shortages. Susan Orenga, executive director of the Portable Generator Manufacturers’ Association, says this procedure often takes many years.
A few months ago, Biden’s ally, commissioner Richard Trumka Jr. hinted at a ban on gas stoves. The stoves were characterized as a “hidden hazard.” As the United States shifts toward using renewable energy sources to meet its growing need for electricity, this rule comes when many residents face more danger of blackouts. Because of the rise in renewable energy and the decline in fossil fuel power plants in the United States, a top grid watchdog has warned that two-thirds of North America is at “elevated risk” of blackouts this summer.
Nearly five million American homes have portable gas generators on hand in case of a blackout. These generators may become hard to come by if the Biden administration follows its regulation, as the commission’s rule forbids manufacturers from storing non-compliant generators before the rule’s introduction.
Underwriters Laboratories, an international product safety corporation, has proposed stricter carbon monoxide emission limitations, and the Biden administration is trying to implement them. The Consumer Product Safety Commission claims that the lack of voluntary standards compliance in the gas generator sector necessitates the implementation of its regulation. The Portable Generator Manufacturers’ Association claims that just 30% of models meet its specifications, even though 75% of the market does.
Techtronic Industries is the lone producer whose goods are certified to a level that would primarily meet the commission’s proposed regulation. However, none of its models are recommended by Popular Mechanics, Electric Generators Direct, or Forbes, and only a select handful are powerful enough to power a home during a blackout.
Press secretary Patty Davis could not provide evidence of more than one fatality caused by a portable generator that met the standard set by the Portable Generator Manufacturers’ Association, despite claims by the Consumer Product Safety Commission that its requirements would prevent deaths caused by carbon monoxide.
