A pair of proposed rules from the Biden administration’s Department of Energy (DOE) would add billions to consumer costs and contribute to more than 584,323 additional annual hours of paperwork, according to an estimate from Dan Goldbeck, director of regulatory policy at the American Action Forum, on Monday.
The proposed rules, which would introduce stricter efficiency standards for residential laundry machines and refrigerators, would introduce at least $7.58 billion and $6.9 billion in “incremental product costs,” respectively, for a total of at least $14.4 billion in regulatory costs, according to the DOE. The DOE has proposed six energy efficiency rules to date in 2023, combining for roughly $23.6 billion in potential costs, Goldbeck reported.
“[O]ne can expect similar regulations to keep coming over the course of the next year for other categories of products,” Goldbeck told the Daily Caller News Foundation. The DOE in early February issued proposed rules to create a stricter set of rules for newly manufactured gas and electric stovetops. (RELATED: Weeks After Pledging Not To Ban Them, The Biden Admin Is One Step Closer To Regulating Gas Stoves)
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 23: U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm speaks during a daily news briefing at the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House on January 23, 2023 in Washington, DC. White Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre held a daily news briefing to answer questions from members of the press. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
The increased efficiency of laundry and refrigerators would save consumers nearly $25.25 billion combined over 30 years, after regulatory costs are considered, the DOE forecasted. The DOE also expects that climate and health benefits from the rule will total at least $18 billion.
Since his inauguration, President Joe Biden’s administration has finalized 543 new rules, with a combined cost of $359.4 billion and 218.9 million paperwork hours, Goldbeck estimated. At the same time in their respective presidencies, the Trump and Obama administrations had introduced 598 and 770 rules, generating $6.9 billion and $208.9 billion in regulatory costs.
The DOE and White House did not immediately respond to a Daily Caller News Foundation request for comment.
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