October 26, 2020 - SACRAMENTO – California Attorney General Xavier Becerra last Friday issued the following statement in response to the Department of Energy’s (DOE) announcement of a final rule undermining current energy efficiency standards for residential dishwashers. The rule, issued at the request of the anti-regulatory group Competitive Enterprise Institute, unjustifiably exempts a class of dishwashers from energy efficiency standards by creating a new, unnecessary category of dishwashers defined only by shorter cycle times.

“As the Trump Administration continues to do the bidding of anti-regulatory interest groups, hardworking families across the country are struggling to pay their electricity bills,” said Attorney General Becerra. “Today’s regressive rule will take money out of consumers' pockets and increase the pollution going into our environment.”

The Energy Policy and Conservation Act directs DOE to establish energy efficiency standards covering most major household products, including dishwashers. DOE’s long-standing energy efficiency program has resulted in substantial economic and environmental benefits, with more than $2 trillion in projected consumer savings and 2.6 billion tons of avoided carbon dioxide emissions by 2030. 

On October 16, 2019, Attorney General Becerra, leading a multistate coalition, filed a comment letter, calling on the DOE to withdraw its proposed rule to undermine current energy efficiency standards for residential dishwashers.
Source: CA. DOJ