Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall has joined a coalition of 24 state attorneys general in opposing the Biden administration’s recent regulatory changes concerning residential washing machines. The new rule aims to impose stricter energy efficiency standards, which critics argue will lead to increased costs for consumers and contribute to inflation.
“Whether it is your car, kitchen, or laundry room, the Biden-Harris administration is going to find ways to hike our bills in the name of the radical left’s climate agenda,” said Attorney General Marshall. “Too often ‘high efficiency’ just means the machine is terrible at washing clothes. If consumers want to choose a more expensive and less effective washing machine, let them. However, we believe the White House should not be making those decisions for all of us. People are having a hard enough time affording the basics in this economy, yet this administration keeps piling on the costs.”
The opposition follows a newly released direct final rule by the Department of Energy (DOE) regulating residential clothes washers. The attorneys general argue that this rule does not consider its economic impact on American consumers who will face higher appliance costs due to these regulations.
In a letter addressed to DOE Secretary Jennifer Granholm, the attorneys general requested that the department either abandon the rule or allow for notice and comment rulemaking before implementing these standards. They highlighted concerns raised by several appliance companies and industry groups like the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM). According to AHAM’s comments, “the proposed rule would ‘eliminate consumer features, reduces choice, significantly increases cost, and/or negatively impacts product performance.’”
Whirlpool Corporation also expressed concerns separately, indicating that their research showed a potential 25% increase in costs for consumers and a possible 31% loss in industry net present value, potentially resulting in over 8,000 job losses.
Although AHAM and some advocacy groups eventually consented to the new rule in a joint statement after reaching an impasse with DOE, the attorneys general argue that this agreement was influenced by administrative pressure and did not address key issues raised during the comment period. They further criticized reliance on support from advocacy groups such as the Alliance for Water Efficiency and Earthjustice, stating that these organizations do not represent everyday consumers' interests.
The attorneys general contend that DOE cannot issue this rule without broader agreement across different ideological perspectives as required by law. They assert that while states like Massachusetts and California may support DOE’s proposal, many other states strongly oppose it.
The coalition calls on DOE to allow public commentary on this regulation due to its significant impact on households. Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody joined Marshall along with attorneys general from Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska New Hampshire Oklahoma South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Virginia West Virginia