This morning, the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) sent the below letter to the House of Representatives urging Members to oppose H.R. 7637, the so-called Refrigerator Freedom Act, and H.R. 7700, the so-called Stop Unaffordable Dishwasher Standards Act. LCV will strongly consider including votes on this legislation in the 2024 National Environmental Scorecard.

See our letter and statement on Appliance Week 2.0 here.

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July 9, 2024

U.S. House of Representatives

Washington, DC 20515

Re: Oppose H.R. 7637, the so-called Refrigerator Freedom Act, and H.R. 7700, the so-called Stop Unaffordable Dishwasher Standards Act

Dear Representatives: 

The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) believes that everyone has a right to clean air, clean water, public lands, and a safe climate protected by a just and equitable democracy. Each year, LCV publishes the National Environmental Scorecard, which details the voting records of members of Congress on environmental legislation. The Scorecard is distributed to LCV members, concerned voters nationwide, and the media.

LCV urges you to vote NO on H.R. 7637, the so-called Refrigerator Freedom Act, and H.R. 7700, the so-called Stop Unaffordable Dishwasher Standards Act, which would effectively block the Department of Energy from setting new or enforcing existing appliance efficiency standards for refrigerators and dishwashers that lower consumer costs and reduce wasted energy and water. These bills could force customers to rely on outdated, inefficient technology, raise families’ energy costs, and increase pollution, and must be rejected.

The Department of Energy has long-standing authority to set efficiency standards that lower energy costs for consumers, improve grid reliability, and lower overall energy and water usage. Efficiency standards promulgated by the agency cut household utility bills by an average of $500 a year. These bills would prevent the agency from appropriately considering utility bill savings when setting or enforcing efficiency standards for these appliances, pushing consumers towards options that cost them more money in the long term. For more information about the specific impacts on refrigerator and dishwasher efficiency standards, please consult this fact sheet from the Appliance Standards Awareness Project.

The benefits of energy and water efficient appliances extend well beyond the individual household. As nationwide energy demand grows, energy efficient appliances relieve stress on the grid and tight water supplies, and improve overall systems’ reliability. Also, the energy efficiency industry employees more than 2.2 million Americans, creating jobs in 99% of US counties. Finally, efficiency standards lead to reduced health and climate-harming pollution from buildings and power plants, improving air quality and public health, including in low-income communities disproportionately impacted by air pollution. These benefits and more are under threat by these bills.

We urge you to REJECT H.R. 7637, the so-called Refrigerator Freedom Act, and H.R. 7700, the so-called Stop Unaffordable Dishwasher Standards Act. LCV will strongly consider including votes related to these bills in our 2024 National Environmental Scorecard. If you would like more information, please reach out to a member of our government relations team.

Sincerely,

Gene Karpinski
President