Court Overturns DOE's Repeal of Appliance Water Use Regulation

The ruling questions the Department of Energy's authority to regulate water use in appliances, marking a victory for Republican states and consumer advocacy groups.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit overturned the Department of Energy's (DOE) decision to repeal a Trump-era regulation governing water use in dishwashers and clothes washers.
The court ruled that the DOE's actions were 'arbitrary and capricious', and questioned the DOE's authority to regulate dishwasher water use.
The Biden administration's move was part of a broader effort to regulate appliances and decrease the energy consumption of the residential sector.
The court's ruling is a victory for both Republican states which sued DOE over its actions and consumer advocacy groups which have argued against overly-burdensome standards for home appliances.
The court's decision allows manufacturers to build better dishwashers, not be encumbered by counterproductive federal regulations.