The federal government’s back-and-forth on HVACR regulations continued on Friday, May 9, when President Trump signed legislation that cancels efficiency rules for walk-in coolers and freezers established in the final months of the Biden administration.
At the same signing, Trump also overturned Biden administration regulations on residential water heaters and a rule related to labeling requirements for consumer products.
The current administration was able to undo the Biden-era regulations by using a tool called the Congressional Review Act, which allows Congress to review and overturn, within a specific time frame, federal regulations issued by government agencies.
Back in March, the House passed H.J. Res. 24 and H.J. Res. 75, to rescind Biden administration rules that, according to Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-KY), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, “were on track to create costly new standards for commercial refrigerators and freezers.”
In a joint statement with Rep. Bob Latta (R-Ohio), Guthrie said, “The Biden-Harris Administration placed new and harmful regulations on commercial refrigeration units, yet another example of needless regulation raising prices for businesses and families while failing to provide cost savings or increasing food safety. These Congressional Review Act resolutions are a critical part of our work to eliminate costly and burdensome regulations that failed to serve the American people.”
On April 4, the Senate voted along party lines to rescind the Energy Department’s final rule, which was posted about a month before Trump took office.
More about the bills, according to a press release from energycommerce.house.gov:
H.J. Res. 24, “Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of Energy relating to “Energy Conservation Program: Energy Conservation Standards for Walk-In Coolers and Walk-In Freezers,” led by Congresswoman Stephanie Bice (OK-05), repeals the Biden-Harris Administration’s burdensome efficiency standards on the refrigeration units commonly used in grocery stores, convenience stores, and other businesses. These standards would have significantly harmed smaller stores and retailers, who may be forced to incur expensive electrical or structural upgrades to comply with the amended standard without significant benefits in efficiency.
H.J. Res. 75, “Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy relating to “Energy Conservation Program: Energy Conservation Standards for Commercial Refrigerators, Freezers, and Refrigerator-Freezers,” led by Congressman Craig Goldman (TX-12), would repeal refrigeration standards put in place only three years ago that would lead to major new costs for businesses and families across the country, with the Biden-Harris Department of Energy itself estimating that at least one standard would have a payback period of more than 90 years, clearly demonstrating the absurdity of the regulation.