… In the name of conservation, a federal law limits the amount of
water that can pass through a nozzle to 2.5 gallons per minute. The
law was designed to limit both water and energy use related to pumping
the water.

Until recently, a loophole that allowed multi-nozzled showerheads
(with each individual nozzle meeting the flow-capacity limit) put this
personal choice where it belongs: in the hands of consumers.
Showerheads with three or even eight nozzles could be purchased by
homebuilders to equip luxury bathrooms as long as the per-nozzle water-
flow limit was followed. Regrettably, the DOE decided that
alternatives to the standard showerhead could no longer be allowed
and, in May, sought to close the legal gap. A redefinition of
showerheads is expected.

Dictating the amount of water that is to be used in a shower has
little bearing on energy policy and opens the door to far more
invasive measures. If the DOE can limit the energy used in showering,
it could just as easily involve itself in legislating how much energy
any appliance can use, how long it can be used each day, or what kind
of electronics can be sold.

[...]

In involving itself so closely in the American household, the DOE has
overstepped its bounds. Showerheads simply don’t fit under
electricity, fuel, or energy on a national scale. Which showerhead to
use should be a personal choice made by individual households, not by
a commission or national organization.

http://therealbarackobama.wordpress....owerhead-czar/

That's Fascism!