Energy Star and efficiency rollbacks draw legal and budget scrutiny from Democrats
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Summary
Representative Kathy Castor challenged Secretary Wright over DOE proposals to roll back Energy Star and efficiency standards; Wright said DOE legal staff are reviewing and he contended consumers should be free to choose trade-offs.
Representative Kathy Castor told the committee she was "dumbfounded" by DOE proposals that she said would abandon Energy Star and weaken efficiency standards that, she argued, save consumers money. Castor cited DOE's own estimate that rolling back certain standards would increase Americans' utility bills by more than $54 billion and asked, "How do you justify robbing Americans of $54,000,000,000 in savings from energy efficiency standards?" She inserted supportive documents from efficiency groups into the record.
Secretary Chris Wright responded that energy efficiency investments can be valuable but that policy should allow consumers to evaluate tradeoffs. He told the panel that the department's legal team was reviewing statutory constraints and said, "I can assure you we are following the law and very carefully reviewing these things." Wright argued DOE would return rulemaking to a role that emphasizes consumer choice and cost-effectiveness.
Members debated legality and statutory limits. Representative Sean Castor (sic: ranking member Castor) and other Democrats pointed to a 2004 federal appeals court ruling and to EPCA language prohibiting weakening finalized standards. Wright told the committee DOE would seek to comply with statute and legal advice while pursuing what he described as a restoration of choice.
Ending: Democrats warned rollbacks would raise bills and could be unlawful; Wright said DOE's lawyers were engaged and that the department would follow statutory requirements while pursuing its regulatory priorities.
