Report: Energy Star faces chopping block
Energy Star, the EPA program founded in 1992 that has become the standard bearer for appliance efficiency, is in line to be eliminated. According to the Associated Press, the program's demise is coming amid the Trump administration's major cuts and reorganization efforts at the EPA.
According to Energy Star, more than 75 product categories are eligible for the program's label, including appliances, electronics, lighting, heating and cooling systems. The program says it has saved 5 trillion kilowatt-hours of electricity, more than $500 billion in energy costs and prevented 4 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions.
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While the EPA has not yet officially announced that the program is ending, The New York Times is reporting that employees have already received word in an internal meeting that Energy Star would be cut.
Since George H. W. Bush's administration implemented it, Energy Star has offered tax credits and rebates for appliances and products that achieved third-party certification. The program has long been viewed as a win-win for companies and consumers alike, but the Trump administration views it as overreach. In fact, as AP points out, President Trump tried cutting Energy Star during his first term. Now, "the Trump administration's proposed budget asks that Congress eliminate the EPA’s entire Atmospheric Protection Program, which houses the offices that run Energy Star. The budget described the program as 'an overreach of government authority that imposes unnecessary and radical climate change regulations on businesses and stifles economic growth.' "
In response to the news that Energy Star is on the chopping block, environmental nonprofit Sierra Club writes:
"The American people deserve to be able to make informed decisions with unbiased, vetted information. When we waste energy through inefficient appliances the fossil fuel industry uses it as an excuse to extract and sell more of its product to make more money on the backs of the American people."
Meanwhile, the NAHB also weighed in, expressing concerns over the status of tax credits tied to energy-efficiency in homes:
"NAHB is also seeking clarification on how the potential elimination of the Energy Star program would affect tax credits linked to an Energy Star certification, such as the Section 45L tax credit for new energy efficient homes.
These energy tax credits are already under scrutiny within Congress, and elimination of the Energy Star program raises additional concerns about their future. Congress is also working on a comprehensive tax bill and is widely expected to push to eliminate many of the existing energy tax credits as an offset to reduce the cost of the overall tax bill.
NAHB supports energy efficiency in home building and remodeling, including retaining energy tax credits that promote the use of renewable energy technology, as well as voluntary energy efficiency programs for new homes, including Energy Star and the Section 45L tax credit."
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