President Joe Biden’s Department of Energy continued reversing the Trump administration’s assault on energy efficiency standards this week by undoing rules that would have allowed certain models of dishwashers, clothes washers, and dryers to use unlimited water and energy.
Advocates for energy efficiency applauded the move but argued that the Biden administration has not been moving fast enough to undo former President Donald Trump’s damage to appliance standards. They want the Department of Energy not only to overturn Trump’s rules but also to begin the process of setting new, more stringent standards.
“Undoing this Trump gimmick is a needed step, but the administration still needs to finish undoing several other Trump rollbacks and start updating standards for dozens of products,” Andrew deLaski, executive director of the Appliance Standards Awareness Project, an advocacy group, said in a statement.
The gimmick is that the Trump administration invented a new product class for dishwashers, washers, and dryers that default to a short cycle, exempting them from ... Read more
