The US Department of Energy's dishwasher rule sets the stage for the fight against Trump

The Energy Department reiterated Thursday that it will continue to include “short cycle” appliances in its energy efficiency regulations.

The proposal would solidify the agency's reversal of a Trump-era carve-out of dishwashers, residential washing machines (RCWs) and clothes dryers that have shorter-than-standard cycles. The DOE is on track to finalize the decision before the end of the Biden administration — perhaps only for it to be overturned once President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January.

“DOE tentatively concludes that the short cycle capabilities of dishwashers, RCWs, and consumer clothes dryers do not warrant different standards than those generally applicable to these products,” the DOE notice said.

A group of Republican attorneys general led by Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill challenged the Biden administration's repeal of the Trump-era carveout, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit referred the matter to the in 2022 DOE back.