TN AG Leads Coalition Urging Department of Energy to Reconsider Proposed Standards for Consumer Boilers
Nashville – Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, joined by a coalition of 20 other States, has filed a public comment letter once again taking a stand against the Department of Energy's (DOE) relentless efforts to micromanage every aspect of American life. This time, the focus is on the Department's proposed efficiency standards for consumer boilers under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA).
“Once again, Tennessee, and other state attorneys general, are pushing back against federal overreach in an effort to protect consumers,” said General Skrmetti. “Excessive federal regulation hurts consumers and undermines the core constitutional structure on which our nation is built.”
The letter highlights several key issues that make the standards problematic. Firstly, it states the standards rely on faulty social-cost estimates, which undermines the DOE’s credibility. Additionally, the standards violate Executive Order 13,132 by disregarding federalism concerns, and they fail to address the EPCA's constitutional issues. Furthermore, deeply concerning is the Department's failure to consider important rulemaking factors, such as time for meaningful review, economic hardship, and strain on the energy infrastructure.
The coalition emphasizes the significant hardship these standards would impose on American businesses. The Department itself acknowledges that the proposed standards will lead to domestic job losses and negatively impact American foundry owners, who will face reduced profitability compared to their international competitors. Moreover, consumers will be adversely affected, as the standards will eliminate non-condensing boilers from the market, despite many American homes being architecturally designed for such boilers.
Furthermore, the Department's failure to address the cumulative impact of its proposed standards on the nation's electric grid is alarming. At a time when electric shortages have become more acute, the coalition urges the Department to analyze the cumulative impact of this standard alongside others that strain the already overworked energy grid.
States joining Tennessee in the letter include Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, and Virginia.
You may read the letter in its entirety here.
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