Senate passes resolution repealing Biden administration appliance efficiency standard

The Senate passed a joint resolution 50-45 undoing a Department of Energy efficiency rule on gas furnaces. 

S.J. Res. 58 blocks a DOE rule that outlaws non-condensing furnaces. The condensing furnaces are more efficient, but critics say that the installation and venting requirements for the furnaces are impractical for some homes. Many of those homes are owned by lower-income residents who can’t afford the upgrades. 

The DOE claimed that after spending the money to install the furnaces, Americans would save money on their utility bills. 

“This administration doesn’t care that their radical climate agenda will have a catastrophic impact on American families and small businesses. Eliminating all non-condensing natural gas furnaces will only serve to further hurt families who are already struggling to get by,” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who sponsored the legislation, said in a statement. 

The resolution was introduced under the Congressional Review Act, which allows Congress to block finalized federal regulations.