What is Trump’s proposed law on showerhead pressure after saying his hair has to be ‘perfect’?
THE Trump administration wants to loosen restrictions on an energy law that restricts how much water pours through showerheads per minute.
President Donald Trump complained last month about the issue, saying not enough water comes out of showerheads – and that his hair needs to be “perfect.”
What did Trump say about showerheads?
Speaking at the White House in July, Trump said: “We’re bringing back consumer choice in home appliances so that you can buy washers and dryers, showerheads, and faucets.
“So showerheads — you take a shower, the water doesn’t come out. You want to wash your hands, the water doesn’t come out.
“So what do you do? You just stand there longer or you take a shower longer? Because my hair — I don’t know about you, but it has to be perfect. Perfect.”
What is the Trump administration doing to change showerheads?
The administration wants to change the definition of showerheads so that more water could flow through into showers and bathtubs.
On Wednesday, officials made a proposal that would allow each nozzle where the water comes out to spray as much as 2.5 gallons – not just from the overall showerhead.
What are the current US shower rules?
Since 1992, showerheads, per federal law, should not push through more than 2.5 gallons of water per minute.
As newer showerheads were made with multiple nozzles, the Obama administration in 2013 made clear how much water should be coming out of them in total.
So if a showerhead has four nozzles, no more than 2.5 gallons should come out of all four nozzles.
What are energy conservation groups saying about the proposal?
Andrew deLaski, executive director of the energy conservation group Appliance Standards Awareness Project, said: “Frankly it’s silly.”
“The country faces serious problems. We’ve got a pandemic, serious long-term drought throughout much of the West.
“We’ve got global climate change,” he continued. “Showerheads aren’t one of our problems.”
With the Trump administration’s proposal, showerheads could be pushing through “10, 15 gallons per minute … literally probably washing you out of the bathroom,” de Laski said.
DeLaski said that there hasn’t been an outcry from the public about needing more water pouring through showerheads.
As noted by The Associated Press, the Department of Energy’s own database of 12,499 showerheads showed 74 percent of them use two gallons or less water per minute.
That’s 20 percent less than the federal standard.
What would change if the proposal is adopted?
DeLaski said that because of water conservation standards and current appliance and plumbing energy, Americans save about $500 a year on energy bills.
But Shalyn Hynes, a spokesperson for the Energy Department, told the AP that the Obama administration’s definition of showerheads is not what Congress intended.
She said it also goes against the standards of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
Hynes said that changing the rule would be “allowing Americans — not Washington bureaucrats — to choose what kind of showerheads they have in their homes.”
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DeLaski said that if people are having trouble with their showerheads not pouring enough water, they should check their home’s water pressure.
He noted that Americans could replace faulty showerheads for not a lot of money.
“If the president needs help finding a good shower, we can point him to some great consumer websites that help you identify a good showerhead that provides a dense soak and a good shower,” deLaski said.