Liberty in Laundry Act
Floor Speech
Mr. Speaker, we are quickly approaching the final days of this Congress, and after spending a year on the campaign trail promising to lower prices for working families, today House Republicans are bringing up a bill that will raise energy bills for those very same families.
H.R. 7673 guts popular energy efficiency standards for laundry machines, standards that save Americans money on their utility bills and reduce dangerous greenhouse gas pollution at the same time.
These efficiency standards create certainty for manufacturers, and they protect consumers from rising costs. In the case of these laundry machine standards, they also reduce water use, a benefit that could greatly aid drought-prone regions around the Nation.
What is more, Mr. Speaker, the Biden administration's energy efficiency actions are projected to save Americans $1 trillion and reduce greenhouse gas pollution by more than 2.5 billion metric tons over the next 30 years. The laundry machine standard that this bill guts is on track to save Americans $18 billion on their utility bills over the next 30 years, as well.
However, today's Republican Party is unpersuaded by things like facts and cost savings. With this bill, Republicans are proving that their vow to lower costs was nothing more than an empty campaign promise. This legislation actively works to raise Americans' energy bills, all so they can curry favor with their special interest friends and do the bidding of their fossil fuel industry friends. Absolutely no one else stands to benefit from this legislation, proving once and for all that Republicans only pay lip service to lowering costs when it is campaign season.
That is why this bill conveniently ignores the efficiency standards- setting process that already exists at the Department of Energy, which already requires that these standards result in significant savings, be technologically feasible, and economically justifiable.
In fact, DOE's process works so well that the laundry machine standard targeted by this bill was actually the result of a consensus agreement between the appliance industry, efficiency advocates, and consumer advocates. They actually embrace reality. The reality is that laundry machine standards haven't been updated in more than a decade, many models that meet the new standard already exist, and appliance manufacturers have said they do not feel burdened by it at all.
All this begs the question--why are Republicans trying to undermine a process that brings everyone to the table to lower costs? Who, exactly, is asking for this bill?
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 7673 would effectively overturn the Department of Energy's recently finalized efficiency standards and prohibit the Department from enforcing any standard that increases upfront costs by even a single penny, completely ignoring the massive savings that Americans would enjoy on their home energy bills over the long run.
I oppose the bill because it will increase energy costs for American families and undermine our ongoing efforts to combat the worsening climate crisis. Republicans will go out of their way to cut taxes for their wealthy billionaire friends, but when it comes to taking actions that actually lower costs for everyday Americans, they are nowhere to be found.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to oppose this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
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Mr. PALLONE. Castor), the ranking member of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Duncan for all that he has done for many years in Congress, particularly on the Energy and Commerce Committee. We were at the Rules Committee last night, and we actually said that we enjoyed being at the Rules Committee and sparring back and forth. I think we really meant it. Not too many people would say that when they go to the Rules Committee, to be perfectly honest. That is because he has always been a gentleman. He is always concerned about doing the right thing.
One of the things in the Energy and Commerce Committee that we do all the time is try to come to a consensus. It is not always possible. That is certainly not possible on this bill, but we really try to get things done. We try to build a consensus and do what we think is going to make a difference to improve the lives of the American people. I thank him for the comments he made and for his service, and I know we are going to see each other after this year as well, hopefully a lot.
Mr. Speaker, maybe this bill is a good example of what I just said. I understand where the Republicans are coming from, but I just strongly disagree, frankly, because I think for many years now the Department of Energy has had the obligation to try to come up with better efficiency standards for appliances. Usually, it is done on a consensus basis with industry, and it has to, under the current law, save money.
In this case, it is not only saving money over the life of a washing machine, if you will, but also saving water, reducing the amount of greenhouse gases that go into the atmosphere. I think the one thing where we differ is Mr. Duncan has talked about maybe--I don't want to put words in his mouth--the price goes up a dollar or a few dollars from where it is right now, but over the life of a machine, you actually are saving money. That is exactly what the Department is supposed to look at when they look at not only the energy savings but the reduced costs to the consumer. That is maybe where the difference lies here.
The bottom line is that this standard doesn't go into effect until 2028. It certainly is my experience--and you know they have done focus groups and other things on this to show that people actually want more efficient machines and the new technology that goes with it.
I think it really makes no sense to simply say we are going to wipe away these efficiency standards for laundry machines. We have had similar bills on refrigerators and other appliances because what we are all about in this country is using technology to make things more efficient, make things cheaper, and make things better for the future.
That is essentially why I oppose the bill and would ask my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this legislation.
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Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
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