Under pressure from environmentalists, the Biden administration is putting some stricter energy efficiency regulations in place. On Friday, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced that it would be reversing a short-lived Trump administration rule that eased restrictions on the pleasing flow of multi-headed showers.
The root of this dispute goes back to the Energy Policy and Conservation Act, a 1992 law which imposed a host of convenience-crushing energy efficiency regulations on appliances. Chief among them was a requirement that showerheads sold in the U.S. emit no more than 2.5 gallons of water per minute.
Former President Donald Trump was a frequent critic of both this regulation and Obama-era regulatory changes in 2011 and 2013 that required whole shower units to comply with the 2.5-gallon-per-minute limit. Previously, multi-headed shower units could emit more water so long as each individual showerhead didn't surpass 2.5 gallons-per-minute.
"I build, and I build a lot of stuff. And I go into areas where they have tremendous water… And you have sinks where the water doesn't come out…. You have showers where I can't wash my hair properly, it's a disaster!" said then-candidate Trump at a 2015 rally.
It's a complaint that Trump re-upped multiple times during his tenure in the White House. It wasn't until December 2020, however, that his DOE undid the Obama administration's restrictions, letting multi-headed showers flow freely again.
The Biden administration has now proposed to undo this important win for individual liberty.
"As many parts of America experience historic droughts, this commonsense proposal means consumers can purchase showerheads that conserve water and save them money on their utility bills″ said a Department of Energy spokesperson to the Associated Press on Friday.