Department of Energy Announces Deregulatory Actions Related to Water
On May 12, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the beginning of its deregulatory agenda that has potential impacts for drinking water. The DOE announcement proposes to eliminate or reduce a total of 47 regulations to comply with the Executive Order on, “Zero-Based Regulation to Unleash American Energy.” It includes reducing water use and conservation standards for commercial and consumer appliances and eliminating requirements for National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) floodplain and wetlands environmental reviews. The following three actions focused on water have been published in the Federal Register, with comments due by July 15, 2025.
- Amended Water Conservation Standards for Commercial Clothes Washers: DOE is proposing to repeal the amended water conservation standards for commercial clothes washers and return the standards to the statutory baseline.
- Rescinding Amended Water Use Standards for Residential Dishwashers: DOE is proposing to rescind current standards and return the water use requirement for dishwashers to the previous less stringent standards.
- Floodplains and Wetlands Environmental Review Requirements: DOE is proposing to rescind NEPA regulations for compliance with floodplain and wetlands environmental review requirements.
Additional amended water use standards for residential clothes washers and faucets are also being proposed. For more information, read the DOE announcement. DOE will also hold an associated webinar on Thursday, May 29, 2025, from 1:00 – 4:00 pm, look for information to be posted soon on the DOE website.
