Donald Trump takes aim at more water and energy efficiency standards

Donald Trump signed a presidential memorandum Friday day directing the Department of Energy to “consider utilizing each lawful authorization to rescind” oregon weaken regulations for h2o and vigor ratio for dishwashers and washing machines. The enactment besides includes h2o usage standards for showers, faucets, toilets, and urinals.

It closes retired a week of attacks connected policies meant to prevention Americans wealth by incentivizing manufacturers to marque products that prevention h2o and energy. Earlier successful the week, CNN and E&E News reported that the Trump medication would shutter the Energy Star program arsenic portion of a “reorganization” planned astatine the Environmental Protection Agency.

Energy Star certifies products for vigor efficiency, allowing consumers to take the astir energy-efficient location appliances by spotting the recognizable bluish Energy Star label. The rules President Trump is targeting present are really user protections, meant to guarantee that immoderate lawsuit tin acquisition thing that meets tenable ratio standards.

A White House information sheet says the Secretary of Energy should enactment with the Office of Legislative Affairs to marque recommendations to Congress connected immoderate h2o unit “or related vigor ratio laws” that ought to alteration oregon beryllium repealed altogether.

It besides says the Secretary of Energy should intermission enforcement of the rules mentioned successful the memorandum until they’re rescinded oregon revised. “The Federal Government should not enforce oregon enforce regulations that marque taxpayers’ lives worse,” the statesmanlike memorandum says.

“It’ll lone rise costs for consumers to get escaped of these standards, if they get escaped of these standards,” says Andrew deLaski, enforcement manager of the Appliance Standards Awareness Project. “Congress enacted these laws, the president can’t conscionable determine that they’re going to spell away.”

Trump besides signed 4 bills approved done the Congressional Review Act undoing Biden-era ratio standards for water heaters, refrigerators, walk-in coolers, and more. In April, the president signed an executive order to purportedly marque “America’s showers large again” by rescinding an Obama-era explanation of showerheads that raised ratio standards.