Consumer Choice, Not Climate Control
The Department of Energy’s recent move to rescind dozens of appliance regulations marks a pivot in the federal government’s approach to energy and consumer policy and a powerful reaffirmation of American freedom. Gone are the one-size-fits-all mandates that tried to dictate what stove you cook on, how your dishwasher runs, or how forcefully your shower sprays. In their place: common sense, affordability, and respect for individual choice.
This action, led by Energy Secretary Chris Wright under President Trump’s administration, dismantles a sweeping set of rules imposed during the Biden era—rules that were more about pushing an ideological climate agenda than actually helping working families. It’s a move that not only saves consumers over $11 billion but also strikes more than 125,000 words from the United States Code of Regulations. That’s less red tape, more room to innovate, and greater respect for the real experts in efficiency: the American people.
“It should not be the government’s place to decide what kind of appliances you or your restaurants or your businesses can buy,” Energy Secretary Chris Wright told the Washington Free Beacon earlier this month. “Everybody wants clean air and wants to lower their energy costs and run their factories good as they can. The big hand of government doesn’t actually help that process at all.” “We will look for every way we can to protect freedom of the American worker and pursue President Trump’s agenda, get rid of the nonsense, bring back common sense, make life more affordable, and opportunities greater,” he added, noting that previous crackdowns on gas-powered appliances were elitist and illogical.
Under the prior administration, activists and grant-backed NGOs steered appliance policy through backdoor influence. The 2023 gas stove controversy revealed a truth that Washington can’t ignore: Americans want the freedom to make their own choices. Whether it’s the kitchen, the laundry room, or the garage, people know what works best for their lives. They don’t need a federal rulebook micromanaging their home.
Beyond household appliances, this new direction affects energy infrastructure and broader economic freedom. Streamlining natural gas export approvals, simplifying procedures for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and removing unrelated social policy mandates show a government once again focused on prosperity over politics.
This is what powering the future looks like: freedom-driven, innovation-fueled, and centered on real people, not regulation.
May 23, 2025