Reps. Cooper, Blackburn Laud Energy Efficiency Bill

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December 4, 2012

Change in Water Heater Standards Will Benefit Local Manufacturers 

WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper (TN-05) and U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn (TN-07) both praised overwhelming passage today of H.R. 6582, a provision of which directs the U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE) to update its energy efficiency standards to cover a broader range of water heaters manufactured in America.

“This is a good example of smart regulation,” said Cooper. “Ashland City is home to A.O. Smith, the world’s largest dedicated water heater plant and the largest private employer in Cheatham County. I’m glad Middle Tennesseans can benefit from energy-efficient products made right up the road.”

“This legislation finally corrects a broken regulatory system that even DOE has acknowledged needs to be fixed,” Blackburn said.  “It will help put our domestic water heater manufacturers on a level playing field with their foreign competitors and has the potential to add upwards of 1,000 jobs for domestic manufacturers, many of whom call Tennessee home.”

Before a rule change by the Environmental Protection Agency last February, energy standards did not cover the full range of water heaters, inadvertently driving American consumers to buy foreign-made water heaters. In order to level the playing field permanently, Rep. Cooper and Rep. Blackburn introduced the Water Heater Rating Improvement Act of 2011, which was included in H.R. 6582, a larger energy efficiency bill that passed overwhelmingly on the House floor today.


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