Natural gas industry advocates are taking aim at a trio of U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) rules that petitioners argue would raise prices and eliminate consumer choice. 

The American Gas Association (AGA), American Public Gas Association (APGA), the National Propane Gas Association, natural gas utility Spire Inc. and furnace manufacturer Thermo Products LLC filed petitions for review of three DOE final rules in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (Case No. 22-1030). 

The final rules adopted efficiency standards that would effectively ban non-condensing gas-fired furnaces by 2028 and water heaters by 2026 (Docket Nos. 2021-28007, 2022-10011, 2023-25514). Non-condensing appliances remove exhaust gas via chimneys, while condensing appliances rely on...