After describing it as one of his priorities once back in the White House, President Trump has asked the head of the Environmental Protection Agency to drop water regulations governing certain KBB products in the US.
In a social media post, Trump said: “I am hereby instructing Secretary Lee Zeldin to immediately go back to my Environmental Orders, which were terminated by Crooked Joe Biden, on Water Standards and Flow pertaining to SINKS, SHOWERS, TOILETS WASHING MACHINES, DISHWASHERS etc.”
Similarly, he also asked the head of the EPA to “go back to the common sense standards on LIGHTBULBS”, that he put into place during his previous administration.
Following the post, the White House confirmed it will now delay implementing energy and water efficiency mandates – signed in during the Biden administration – for common appliances and toilets, arguing that the delays would “give consumers more choice”.
In addition, the EPA said it would overhaul its WaterSense efficiency standard labels, put in place for shower heads and toilets.
US regulations on toilet water-efficiency were first established in the early 1990s, under the administration of President George H.W. Bush. This first wave of product regulations required toilets not exceed more than 1.6 gallons of water per flush, with taps and showers capped at 2.5 gallons a minute.
Prior to taking office, the White House released a document of Trump’s priorities, which took aim at water and energy saving product regulations. In an effort to “make America affordable and energy dominant again” the document said Trump planned to “empower consumer choice in vehicles, showerheads, toilets, washing machines, lightbulbs and dishwashers”.
Trump’s latest post continues his long-standing criticism of efficiency standards put in place for KBB products. In 2019, he argued that water-efficient toilets require flushing “10 times, 15 times”, and in 2023, complained that using water-saving showers meant it took him 10 minutes or more to wash his hair.
