Congressman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) today continued her fight to rein in the Department of Energy (DOE) and protect Americans from regulatory overreach with provisions she secured in the Fiscal Year 2016 Energy and Water Appropriations Act. The House approved the bill 240-177.

The bill includes an amendment offered by Congressman Blackburn that would prevent DOE from using funds to finalize, promulgate, or enforce a proposed rule that would eliminate the use of non-condensing natural gas home furnaces. On average, condensing furnaces cost $350 more than non-condensing furnaces and require as much as $2,200 in additional installation costs. DOE has estimated this could cost American consumers up to $12 billion to install condensing furnaces nationwide.

“American families are struggling enough under the Obama economy without being saddled with additional costs because of more burdensome regulations being forced on them by bureaucrats at DOE,” Energy and Commerce Committee Vice Chair Blackburn said. “Home furnaces fail and need to be replaced when they are actually used---in the middle of winter when it is cold outside. American families shouldn’t face increased costs to replace their natural gas furnace and get the heat flowing back into their homes.”

Blackburn’s amendment was supported by the American Gas Association; the American Public Gas Association; ACCA – The Indoor Environment & Energy Efficiency Association; Air-Condition, Heating & Refrigeration Institute; Heating Air-Conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International; and the National Association of Home Builders.

Working with Representatives Charlie Dent (R-PA) and Todd Rokita (R-IN), Blackburn also helped lead an effort to approve an amendment to the bill that would prevent any funds from being used by the DOE to finalize, implement, or enforce the proposed “Standards Ceiling Fans and Ceiling Fan Light Kits” rule.

“New regulations being considered by DOE will diminish the ability of ceiling fan manufacturers, such as Hunter Fans in Memphis, to produce reasonably priced fans for homes. This provision will protect manufacturers and consumers from these invasive regulations that extend into the homes of American families, raise costs for consumers, and kill the ability of manufacturers to grow and create jobs,” Blackburn said. “I am pleased to once again be working with Representative Dent in this important effort to protect our homes and ceiling fans from the Obama Administration’s regulatory overreach.”

As part of a more than decade long fight to bring federal spending under control, Blackburn also offered her 1-percent across-the-board spending cut amendment, which would have saved taxpayers an additional $356 million.

“Across-the-board cuts are an effective tool to control the growth and cost of the federal government. They not only give agencies the flexibility to determine which expenses are necessary, but more importantly---they don’t pick winners and losers,” Blackburn said. “These cuts have worked effectively at the state level and there is no reason not to utilize them in Washington. Our nation is more than $18 trillion in debt. At some point bureaucrats in Washington have to learn to live within their means. I don’t think cutting one more penny on the dollar is too much to ask.”