White House rushing out energy efficiency rules in flurry of 11th-hour actions

Dive Brief:

  • With the clock running out on President Obama’s administration, the White House is pushing out dozens of new rules that include land management, executive bonuses, private sector pay and energy efficiency.
  • According to The Washington Post, the U.S. Department of Energy is finalizing almost a dozen new rules that would impact furnaces, commercial boilers and portable air conditioners.
  • Obama in 2013 targeted appliance standards to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 3 billion metric tons by 2030, and since then the new rules have largely been a bipartisan effort with significant impacts.

Dive Insight:

President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to roll back regulations he believes are stymieing economic growth, and so the White House is trying to win the battle through volume.

The Washington Post reports it can take the Senate up to 10 hours of floor time to reverse a Presidential rule, and insiders expect lawmakers will do just that with about a half dozen of the administration’s final rules.

Read more (Utility Dive)