Over the past few months, we have seen liberals go after home appliances to further shape how we live our lives to their every whim. Despite pleas that conservatives were overreacting when a Biden appointee proposed banning gas stoves a few months ago
Then New York recently passed a ban.
Then activists started pushing the White House to restart Obama’s ban on lightbulbs.
And, you guessed it: he did just that.
Now it appears that the White House is ready to go after another home convenience. The Biden Administration has announced new rules that will regulate dishwashers.
Fox Business reports that “The Department of Energy proposed new appliance rules that would cut water and energy use limits for Americans’ dishwashers well below current levels.
The proposal would limit dishwashers to using 3.2 gallons of water per cycle, far below the current federal limit of 5 gallons. The rules would also require manufacturers to reduce their products’ energy consumption by nearly 30%.
Most dishwashers on the market are already well below the federal standard of 5 gallons, with most using 3.5 gallons per cycle or less.
Dishwashers are not the only appliances Biden’s DOE has set its sights on, however, as the regulator is also considering crackdowns on washers, dryers and refrigerators that manufacturers say could reduce performance.
Biden’s new proposals for washing machines may save water, but they won’t clean clothes well. Ed Wallace, a firefighter in Cincinatti, has always taken pride in his appearance and cleanliness. However, recently he was shocked to hear his colleagues comment on his bad odor. After checking himself, he realized that the combination of sweat and smoke from recent house fires had stuck to his clean clothes, causing the unpleasant smell even though he washed his clothes regularly.
He blames his high-efficiency washing machine. Wallace told local news that it doesn’t use enough water to clean his clothing and has displayed photos to show large dry areas on his shirts after a wash load completed.
“I have dry spots after I pull my clothes out of the washing machine, because it won’t fill up with enough water, and it’s not getting all my clothes wet,” he said.
If the White House gets its way, we’re all going to be a little rank. The Washington Free Beacon explained: Biden’s Energy Department last month proposed new efficiency standards for washing machines that would require new appliances to use considerably less water, all in an effort to ‘confront the global climate crisis.’ Those mandates would force manufacturers to reduce cleaning performance to ensure their machines comply, leading industry giants such as Whirlpool said in public comments on the rule. They’ll also make the appliances more expensive and laundry day a headache—each cycle will take longer, the detergent will cost more, and in the end, the clothes will be less clean, the manufacturers say.
The proposed washing machine rule marks the latest example of the administration turning to consumer regulations to advance its climate change goals. Last month, the Energy Department published an analysis of its proposed cooking appliance efficiency regulations, which it found would effectively ban half of all gas stoves on the U.S. market from being sold. The department has also proposed new efficiency standards for refrigerators, which could come into effect in 2027. ‘Collectively these energy efficiency actions … support President Biden’s ambitious clean energy agenda to combat the climate crisis,’ the Energy Department said in February.
While the Energy Department—which did not return a request for comment—acknowledged in its proposal that ‘maintaining acceptable cleaning performance can be more difficult as energy and water levels are reduced,’ it expressed confidence that Whirlpool and other appliance manufacturers can comply with its regulations without sacrificing stain removal and other performance standards. For the Heritage Foundation’s Travis Fisher, however, manufacturer concerns over the proposal are justified.
‘When you’re squeezing all you can out of the efficiency in terms of electricity use and water … you by definition either make the appliance worse or slower,’ said Fisher, who serves as a senior research fellow at the foundation’s Center for Energy, Climate, and Environment. ‘Why are we so focused on the energy output, as opposed to if it’s helping me wash my clothes? That standard has kind of gone off the rails.'”
If the White House gets its way, Americans may be eating off of dirty dishes and smelling a little worse, but at least Greta Thunberg and her ilk will be happy. And for Joe Biden, or at least the radicals he’s allowed to staff his administration, that’s all that matters. Â
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