U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans to revoke federal regulations that limit water flow in home showers, vowing to “make American showers great again.”
Former U.S. leaders Joe Biden and Barack Obama have put forward these restrictions to increase efficiency and save water. The White House profile says that their focus is on the environment, and that Trump’s order is designed to “make American showers great again.”
According to the White House, Trump instructed the U.S. energy secretary to revoke Obama-era rules that limit the total water flow in the multi-nose mouth shower to 2.5 gallons (9.5 liters) per minute. The regulation proposed under President Barack Obama will limit the combined output of all nozzles applied to the shower system, rather than each nozzle alone.
Trump criticized what he called a “radical green agenda”, claiming that current restrictions have resulted in weaker water pressure and unnecessarily extended simple tasks, including washing hair. “You turn on the shower – if you’re like me, you can’t wash your hair properly,” he said as he signed the executive order in the Oval Office.
The White House said the move would “turn too many regulations into bureaucratic nightmare too many regulations.” A fact sheet says: “Shower heads are no longer weak and worthless.”
The rule changes will return the original interpretation of the Energy Policy Act of 1992, which sets the limit to 2.5 gallons per minute without clarification on how it applies to multi-nose mouth designs. Trump’s revised order allows each nozzle to release up to 2.5 gallons per minute, rather than sharing restrictions across all nozzles.
However, consumers and environmental groups have attracted attention. The Equipment Standards Awareness Project (ASAP) notes that federal efficiency standards established thirty years ago help reduce waste, reduce utility bills and protect the environment. ASAP warns that pulling back such standards could lead to increased energy consumption and costs for consumers.
Joe Biden has previously reversed Trump’s efforts to relax rules in 2020, thus restoring Obama’s stricter interpretation. The current government advocates maintaining water-saving policies, saying that rollbacks are unnecessary and wasteful.
Despite opposition, Trump insisted that the change in this rule reflects Americans’ right to choose their own appliances and said: “People pay for their own water and should be free to decide how much stress they want at home.”
Executive Order will take effect 30 days after the Ministry of Energy issues a formal notice to revoke previous definitions
