President Trump has signed an executive order aiming to repeal Obama-era restrictions on showerhead water flow, calling previous regulations excessive, while critics argue this could lead to unnecessary water waste and environmental impact.
Trump Aims to Reverse Showerhead Regulations with New Executive Order
Trump Aims to Reverse Showerhead Regulations with New Executive Order
In a move to enhance consumer choice, Trump signs an order to ease water flow restrictions for showerheads, reinstating policies from his tenure.
In a fresh bid to reshape domestic policies, President Donald Trump announced an executive order intent on "making America's showers great again." This directive seeks to overturn regulations imposed during Barack Obama's presidency that limited the overall water discharge from multi-nozzle showerheads to a maximum of 2.5 gallons per minute, a measure the White House claims served a "radical green agenda" detrimental to Americans' daily comfort.
During the signing ceremony in the Oval Office, Trump expressed frustration at the amount of time it reportedly takes for him to wet his hair, labeling the constraints "ridiculous." He has taken aim at what he terms a "war on water pressure," asserting that American consumers should have the freedom to select their preferred showerheads without federal interference.
The Appliance Standards Awareness Project has previously criticized any rollback of these regulations, emphasizing that past efficiency standards have resulted in significant water conservation, reduced utility costs for households, and have benefited environmental sustainability for decades. Established under the National Energy Policy Act of 1992, these regulations outlined that any showerhead should not exceed the specified limit on water flow.
While Trump’s 2020 administration sought to clarify these standards by allowing each nozzle in a multi-nozzle configuration to emit its own 2.5 gallons per minute, President Joe Biden halted this policy shift upon taking office. Consequently, Trump's latest action represents a potential return to a less regulated framework, with the White House describing the new order as freeing Americans from burdensome policies that have turned basic home fixtures into "bureaucratic nightmares."
The change is expected to be implemented 30 days after the Department of Energy releases a notice rescinding the former definition. In his remarks, Trump reminisced about his frustrations with low-water-pressure showerheads and reiterated his desire for optimal personal grooming standards, encapsulating the personal nature of this policy debate against the backdrop of broader environmental considerations.
