{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://bice.house.gov/media/press-releases/icymi-bice-writes-letter-biden-administration-withdraw-its-proposed-ceiling", "ICYMI: Bice Writes Letter to\u00a0Biden Administration to Withdraw Its Proposed Ceiling Fan Rule", "2023-09-13", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "House", "OK", "Stephanie I. Bice", "B000740", "bice.house.gov", "bice", "https://bice.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. - Congresswoman Stephanie Bice (OK-05) wrote the Biden administration a letter condemning their proposed rule that would affect residential ceiling fans. Bice strongly opposes the heavy-handed rule that will only increase costs for the public and small businesses, all while making the summer months even less bearable.\n\nRead below:\n\nBy Reese Gorman | Washington Examiner\n\nEXCLUSIVE\u2014 Rep. Stephanie Bice (R-OK) sent a letter to Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm urging her to withdraw the Department of Energy\u2019s proposed rule to make ceiling fans more energy efficient.\n\nIn June, the department proposed new standards that would apply to standard residential ceiling fans and cut electricity costs caused by fans.\n\n\u201cDOE's analyses indicate that the proposed energy conservation standards for ceiling fans would save a significant amount of energy,\u201d the proposed rule published by the federal register reads.\n\nAccording to the rule, the new fans would save households a lifetime average of $39.84. However, the increased cost of the proposed standards for ceiling fans on manufactures is estimated to be \"$86.6 million per year in increased equipment costs.\" But, \"the estimated annual benefits are $281.1 million from reduced equipment operating costs.\"\n\nThe public comment period on the rule ended this week on Aug. 22.\n\nThe proposed rule has drawn pushback from Republicans in Congress, including Bice, who referenced that in her home of Oklahoma City, temperatures are reaching 105 degrees Fahrenheit. She said that she worries the new regulations would lead to less affordable cooling measures and that \u201caccess to affordable cooling options during these summer months is a serious matter.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe are currently in a period of hot summer weather but also a time of high inflation,\u201d Bice writes in her letter. \u201cIt is unconscionable that your department would seek to limit the options of the American people to stay cool in their own homes at a time like this.\u201d\n\nShe said she \u201cstrongly opposes\u201d the measure and urges the department to withdraw the proposed rule.\n\nThis is one of many rules the Biden administration has proposed that Republicans have vocally opposed. One was a ban on gas stoves, which became the subject of legislation to block the rule. Bice claimed that \u201cheavyhanded regulations\u201d such as this limit the free market and drive up prices for the public and small businesses.\n\n\u201cOnce again, the Biden administration is using the power of the pen to attempt to control every aspect of how we live in our homes,\u201d Bice said in a statement. \u201cInstead of regulating ceiling fans, they should focus on providing relief to American families that are suffering under Bidenomics. The power of the executive state has grown too large, and I will continue working to hold them accountable.\u201d\n\nEarlier in the week, Republican members of the House Small Business Committee also wrote to the Energy Department opposing the ceiling fan rule, saying that it could drastically affect small businesses that manufacture fans.\n\n\u201cThis rule would require numerous small business fan manufacturers to redesign their products and may put between 10 and 30 percent of small business ceiling fan manufacturers out of business,\u201d the committee said.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:37:48Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://bice.house.gov/media/press-releases/icymi-bice-writes-letter-biden-administration-withdraw-its-proposed-ceiling"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.160155050456524, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}