CHARLESTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) – West Virginia Attorney General JB McCuskey is urging the U.S. Department of Energy to delay and ultimately rescind two federal appliance efficiency rules that he says would increase costs and limit choices for consumers.
McCuskey submitted a formal comment letter to Energy Secretary Chris Wright supporting the department’s proposal to postpone compliance deadlines for rules governing commercial water heating equipment and residential furnaces until Jan. 1, 2030. He also called on the agency to revoke the regulations entirely.
“West Virginians should have a choice when it comes to the appliances for their homes. However, these Biden-era rules take away that choice,” Attorney General JB McCuskey said.
“Households will be forced to take on costly and unneeded renovations to comply. They could even be faced with abandoning the natural gas appliances that they rely on and can afford. That is why we are urging DOE to act now to protect consumers.”
According to McCuskey’s office, the rules would prohibit the manufacture of popular non-condensing natural gas commercial water heaters beginning as early as October 2026 and residential furnaces by December 2028 if the original deadlines remain in place.
The attorney general’s office said more than 335,000 West Virginia households use natural gas for heating and argued that requiring homeowners to retrofit heating systems or purchase alternative appliances could create significant financial burdens.
McCuskey has also led a 21-state coalition in a case before the U.S. Supreme Court challenging a November ruling by the D.C. Circuit Court that upheld the restrictions.
The coalition contends that federal regulators exceeded their authority by adopting standards that effectively eliminate products with distinct performance characteristics.
The Department of Energy is currently considering whether to amend the compliance dates for the regulations.
