A federal judge in Texas has thrown out a Biden administration climate policy that sought to set strict energy standards for homes being built for people with certain federally backed mortgages.
The ruling by Judge Jeremy Kernodle of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas is a victory for a coalition of Republican state attorneys general and a powerful homebuilders’ advocacy group, which sued to block the Biden-era regulation establishing the policy.
The regulation would have required energy-efficient features such as stronger insulation and upgraded heating and cooling systems in homes built for people with mortgages insured by programs in the Department of Agriculture and Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Supported by environmental advocates, the regulation was part of former President Joe Biden’s efforts to use federally supported construction, including new homes and disaster rebuilding, to address climate change.
