AG Opposes New DOE Rules

LINCOLN—Attorney General Mike Hilgers joined with other state attorneys general in opposing the Biden Administration’s strict new energy-efficiency standards for refrigerators and freezers. The new rule was proposed by several advocacy groups and adopted wholesale by the federal Department of Energy. The effect of the rule will be to increase the costs of the appliances nationwide.                               

“In its latest federal overreach, the Biden Administration has placed new restrictions on refrigerators and freezers that will artificially increase the prices of these household appliances for Nebraskans. I am calling on the Department of Energy to rethink this unpopular decision,” said Attorney General Hilgers.

The rule was proposed through a little-used procedure known as a “direct final rule,” whereby a federal agency skips the normal process of allowing interested parties to submit comments before finalizing a rule. The comment letter calls on the Department of Energy to halt enactment of the rule to allow the States and consumers to critique the rule before it goes into effect.

Attorney General Hilgers continued, saying that “the Department of Energy should follow the normal procedures and allow consumers to voice their concerns before imposing its stringent new rules on refrigerators and freezers. More transparency would help to keep Biden’s big government out of our kitchens.”

Joining Attorney General Hilgers in signing the comment were the attorneys general from Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.