Word v. U.S. Department of Energy

Two individuals filed a lawsuit in the federal district court for the Northern District of Texas to compel the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to issue new water efficiency standards for dishwashers and clothes washers. The plaintiffs alleged that they were consumers who were harmed by recently adopted regulations regarding the water use of clothes washers and dishwashers. (DOE determined that those rules would result in significant energy savings, citing “the need to confront the global climate crisis," among other factors.) The complaint also sought a declaration that DOE “is currently without lawful authority to amend the water efficiency requirements of appliances other than showerheads, faucets, water closets, or urinals.”