Statement: U.S. Department of Energy’s delay on appliance efficiency regulations not only in violation of the law but also a threat to planet

Media Contacts
Allie Astor

Josh Chetwynd

Environment America

BOSTON — The Energy Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee is holding a hearing today on the Department of Energy’s failure to meet 16 legal deadlines for reviewing and updating appliance efficiency standards. The subcommittee is also investigating DoE’s failure to publish Final Energy Conservation Standards.

Environment America’s Clean Energy Associate Allie Astor issued the following statement:

“The Department of Energy’s actions to stall efficiency standards are short-sighted and backward-thinking. According to the DoE’s own estimates, national appliance efficiency standards have prevented 2.3 billion tons of carbon dioxide from polluting our environment since they were first implemented. That’s roughly the equivalent of taking 500 million automobiles off the road for a year. At a time when the pervasive threats of climate change should be at the forefront of national attention, missed deadlines and failures to publish these efficiency standards are directly damaging our planet.

The DoE needs to look at the facts and stop blocking efforts to save energy and reduce pollution.  In the meantime, we will continue our work in states where, from Maine to Washington, officials are leading by example and raising the bar for the nation.”

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Environment America is the national federation of statewide, citizen-based advocacy organizations working for a cleaner, greener, healthier future.