Appeals Court Strikes Down Biden Admin’s Washing Machine Regulations

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday blocked the Biden administration’s efforts to repeal Trump-era efficiency standards regulating water usage in dishwashers and laundry machines. In its ruling on Jan. 8, the court said the Department of Energy’s (DOE) actions to tighten the regulatory regime in 2022 were “arbitrary and capricious.” “Even if DOE could consider dishwashers’ and clothes washers’ ‘efficiency’ in both ‘energy use’ and ‘water use,’ the 2020 Rules likely promoted greater efficiency in both categories than the Repeal Rule. “Assuming both energy conservation metrics are on the table, the States argue, and DOE does not appear to dispute, that one important aspect of that problem is whether appliance regulations actually reduce energy and water consumption,” it added....