WASHINGTON — Congressman Gary Palmer’s resolution reversing a Biden administration rule on natural gas water heaters is headed to President Donald Trump’s desk after it passed the Senate recently.
The legislation repeals a Department of Energy rule issued in December that set higher efficiency standards for certain natural gas water heaters. The new standards were set to start in 2029. Republicans are targeting multiple Biden administration energy regulations.
The joint resolution passed the Senate last week 53-44, with Alabama Sens. Katie Britt and Tommy Tuberville voting for it. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-TX, sponsored the legislation in the Senate.
Palmer’s bill used the Congressional Review Act to repeal the rule, which allows members of Congress to introduce a joint resolution to overturn agency rules within 60 days of their publication and restricts agencies from issuing a substantially similar rule.
“I applaud the Senate on passing this legislation to protect not only gas water heaters, but consumers,” Palmer, R-Birmingham said in a statement.
“For four years, the Biden-Harris administration waged war on our home appliances… With a unified Republican government, we must reduce costs by reversing these regulations.”
The American Gas Association celebrated the passage of the resolution and argued the rule would have given consumers less choice and disproportionately hurt seniors and low-income Americans.
Opponents of the bill, including the Appliance Standards Awareness Project, said repealing the rule on tankless gas water heaters would create higher costs for families and “keep an outdated version of this technology on the market, with homeowners and renters paying the cost.”
It said the new standards would have affected less than 10% of all gas water heaters.
The Department of Energy estimated in 2024 that the rule would save households $7.6 billion per year on their energy and water bills. Palmer argued the rule would cost consumers more money to keep up with the new standard.
The House passed Palmer’s resolution in February. Trump is expected to sign it soon.