Lennox Industries, Inc. will continue to be able to manufacture refrigerated deli-style display cases unimpeded.
Because of a 2005 law mandating increases in energy efficiency standards for appliances, such cases were virtually illegal to manufacture.
Rep. Bruce Braley (D-IA) and Rep. Lynn Westermoreland (R-GA) sponsored an amendment to the Strategic Energy Production Act of 2012 that has changed efficiency regulations on the refrigerators.
Braley said these types of cases should not be held to the same standards of efficiency as other refrigerators because of their design, which makes it nearly impossible for them to meet the requirements set out by the U.S. Department of Energy.
"It's like comparing apples to oranges," Jeff Giertz, communications director for Braley's office, said. "I think this is a common sense change."
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the bill Thursday. The addition of Braley and Westermoreland's amendment, which creates a special category for these cases, passed by a unanimous vote.
"Oftentimes when you create a law or regulation, it has a one-size-fits-all definition," Braley said. "Then you find out there are exceptions."
Braley said Lennox approached him about the problem, saying that the regulation was damaging business.
A search of Opensecrets.org shows that Lennox did not make contributions to Braley's previous campaigns.
The rider is just a great example of bipartisan effort made possible by legislators who care about the employers and employees in their states, Braley said.
He called the amendment an "effective solution to a common problem."
"All those products ... have an impact on a company's bottom line and have an impact on being able to keep good-paying jobs in places like Marshalltown," he said. "[Thursday's] amendment is a good example of how Congress is supposed to work."
Calls to Lennox officials were unreturned at press time.