Energy Department Proposes to Slash 47 Rules Amid Deregulatory Push

The department also proposed streamlining administrative procedures for natural gas imports and exports.

An oil pumpjack in the Permian basin in New Mexico on April 6, 2023. Liz Hampton/Reuters

The Department of Energy (DOE) on May 12 proposed to eliminate or roll back 47 regulations in what it called the first step in America’s “largest deregulatory effort in history.”

The move is expected to save the nation $11 billion by eliminating regulations that it said were “driving up costs” and “lowering quality of life” for the people, according to the department.

“Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, we are bringing back common sense—slashing regulations meant to appease Green New Deal fantasies, restrict consumer choice, and increase costs for the American people,” DOE Secretary Chris Wright said in a statement.

The proposals, scheduled for publication in the Federal Register on May 16, aim to rescind water use and energy conservation standards for microwave ovens, faucets, clothes washers, dishwashers, dehumidifiers, and other appliances.

The department proposed streamlining administrative procedures for natural gas imports and exports, as well as the authorization process for transmitting electric energy to other countries.

DOE also proposed removing certain products, including portable air conditioners, fans, and blowers, from the list of covered products under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act.

It also sought to rescind regulations for loans for minority business enterprises seeking DOE contracts, along with reporting requirements and DOE review for voluntary greenhouse gas reporting.

The move came just days after President Donald Trump issued a memo on May 9 directing Wright to “consider using all lawful authority” to roll back appliance energy standards, calling them “unnecessary radical green agenda policies.”

In his memo, Trump stated that water conservation requirements for faucets, showers, bathtubs, and toilets under the Energy Policy Act of 1992 have made bathroom appliances “more expensive and less functional.”

“Efficiency standards render other American appliances like clothes washers and dishwashers less useful, more breakable, and more expensive to repair,” the president stated. “The federal government should not impose or enforce regulations that make taxpayers’ lives worse.”

The memo directs Wright to review and rescind rules limiting water use in showerheads, faucets, dishwashers, toilets, urinals, and washing machines, or return these rules to the bare minimum required by the Energy Policy Act of 1992.

Andrew deLaski, executive director of the Appliance Standards Awareness Project, warned that the DOE’s proposals could increase the operating costs of products targeted for rollbacks.

“If this attack on consumers succeeds, President Trump would be raising costs dramatically for families as manufacturers dump energy- and water-wasting products into the market,” deLaski said in a statement. “Every single standard they want to revoke here has been saving consumers or businesses far more than it costs.”

Joseph Lord contributed to this report.