On April 10, the U.S. Senate passed Sen. Ted Cruz’s (TX) Resolution of Disapproval to block the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Final Rule Pertaining to Gas-Fired Instantaneous Water Heaters (GIWH). The Final Rule, if implemented, would have imposed new minimum efficiency standards that would effectively eliminate an entire class of affordable and efficient gas water heaters relied upon by millions of American consumers.
The Senate vote follows the House’s passage of a companion resolution introduced by Rep. Gary Palmer (AL-06), reflecting growing bipartisan concern about the unintended consequences of unjustified federal appliance efficiency mandates. With Senate approval now secured, the Resolution heads to the President’s desk for final consideration.
DOE’s rule would set standards that, in practice, restrict consumer choice and reduce access to technology that many public gas utility customers use to meet their household needs. Blocking the rule via the Congressional Review Act (CRA) sends a clear signal that future regulations must be truly cost-saving and technologically feasible.
Passage of this Resolution is a direct result of the significant outreach from APGA member utilities. APGA would like to thank those that reached out to their members of Congress in support of consumer choice and practical energy efficiency standards.
APGA staff worked closely with congressional staff and other energy trade associations in support of this effort. View this letter that APGA sent to leadership in both chambers.
Also, check out APGA President & CEO, Dave Schryver’s, quote in Senator Cruz’s (TX) press release highlighting the passage of the Resolution, here.
"The American Public Gas Association (APGA) commends Senator Cruz and colleagues for taking decisive action to challenge a deeply flawed rulemaking dating back to the Biden Administration, which imposes new minimum efficiency standards for Gas Instantaneous Water Heaters. This rule would have effectively eliminated an entire class of affordable, reliable, and efficient appliances from the market, driving unnecessary and costly fuel switching. APGA believes that Americans should have the freedom to choose the appliances that best meet their household needs and budgets."
For questions on this article, please contact Joshua St.Pierre of APGA staff by phone at 202-407-0015 or by email at jstpierre@apga.org.
Update: This article has been updated to include Dave Schryver’s quote in Senator Cruz’s April 14 press release.