WASHINGTON — A coalition of more than three dozen business groups, including the National Association of Manufacturers, is urging Congress to preserve federal funding for the ENERGY STAR program as responsibility for the initiative shifts from the Environmental Protection Agency to the Department of Energy.
What’s going on: Earlier this year, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin announced plans to transition management of ENERGY STAR—a voluntary initiative created in 1992 that promotes energy efficiency in consumer products—from the EPA to the DOE, a move the NAM supported.
- “Because DOE will hereafter assume primary responsibility for ENERGY STAR’s implementation under the [memorandum of agreement between the EPA and DOE], we request Congress to align federal funding with responsibilities as allocated by the agencies,” the coalition said.
The specifics: The coalition also requested that the Energy and Water Development appropriations bill include the same funding language the House approved earlier this year in its Interior and Environment appropriations bill, which says that “not less than $33,024,000” will go toward ENERGY STAR.
The final word: “The ENERGY STAR public–private partnership drives the critical bipartisan objective of energy affordability,” the groups said, adding that the program has helped Americans save more than $500 billion in energy costs since it began.
- “Lowering costs through efficiency also supports broader competitiveness goals including strengthening national defense and ensuring U.S. energy dominance,” they added.
Continued advocacy: The NAM has been a vocal advocate for continued ENERGY STAR funding and has rallied partner associations to defend the program, underscoring its importance in lowering energy costs, strengthening manufacturing competitiveness, and advancing U.S. energy efficiency.
Tagged with Energy Star, NAED, NAM