By Ward Clark
The federal government, some time back, slapped “efficiency” regulations on major appliances, making them slower, less effective, and less convenient. Now, though, the Trump administration has yanked those regs, in effect, Making Appliances Great Again.
U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright today announced the Department of Energy (DOE) has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to permanently end home appliance and equipment mandates that raise costs and disrupt consumer choice. The proposal will update the Department’s Process Rule used to establish energy conservation standards for household appliances and equipment, including air conditioning units, gas stoves, washing and drying machines, water heaters, refrigerators, and other products Americans rely on every day. In accordance with President Donald Trump’s Executive Order, “Unleashing Prosperity through Deregulation,” the proposal will preserve consumer choice and lower costs.“In America, you should be able to choose a dryer that dries clothes on the first try rather than one that takes multiple cycles—unfortunately, past administrations thought otherwise,” Secretary Wright said. “For too long, the American people paid the price for mandates that restricted consumer choice and drove up costs. President Trump promised to end this nonsense and that is exactly what we are doing. This proposed rule will preserve the American people’s ability to choose home appliances and equipment that actually work — at prices they can afford. It’s called common sense.”
The climate scolds are already up in arms about this. A recent piece in the Washington Post derided the move, calling it “President Trump’s attack on efficiency standards.” Road apples! The Trump administration, with this move, is returning a degree of choice to the American people, one that paternalistic, finger-wagging Democrats tried to take away.
