09/09/2025 at 02:00PM
Subcommittee hearing entitled “Examining Affordability, Choice, and Security in Appliance and Buildings Policies.”
Witnesses:
- Buddy Hughes, Chairman, National Association of Home Builders
- Ben Lieberman, Senior Fellow, Competitive Enterprise Institute
- Jim Steffes, Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs, Washington Gas
- Kara Saul Rinaldi, Chief Policy Officer, Building Performance Association
NAHB, along with the New York State Builders Association, is challenging the nation’s first statewide ban on natural gas in most new construction in court, arguing it is preempted by the federal Energy Policy and Conservation Act.
Lieberman’s testimony: “Dishwashers, washing machines, and light bulbs are among the most overregulated appliances. . . All of the Biden administration appliance regulations – light bulbs, furnaces, water heaters, air conditioners, stoves, dishwashers, refrigerators, others – included calculations of the claimed climate benefits. These benefits are based on the highly flawed estimates of the social cost of carbon, which the Trump administration has sensibly ordered all regulatory agencies to stop relying upon.”
Steffes testimony: “Maintaining an affordable, diverse, reliable, and resilient energy mix, featuring natural gas, is vital for addressing the increasing energy needs of our economy and ensuring energy security.”