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Committee considers H600 to preserve Vermont appliance-efficiency standards after federal 2025 update
Summary
The committee reviewed H600, a mostly technical amendment that updates Vermont's reference date for federal appliance-efficiency rules to 2025 and reiterates the state's "backstop" approach so state standards would take effect if relevant federal standards are withdrawn.
The House Energy & Digital Infrastructure Committee examined H600 on April 8, a bill that would update Vermont's statutory reference to the federal appliance-efficiency code to reflect the 2025 federal update and preserve Vermont's ability to enforce state standards if federal requirements are repealed or voided.
Ellen Shaowski, an attorney with the Office of Legislative Council, told members that Vermont first adopted appliance-efficiency legislation in 2006 and added a "backstop" in 2017 so that state standards would take effect if the federal government withdrew its standards. Shaowski explained that the statute incorporates provisions of the federal code by reference: "The commissioner shall adopt minimum efficiency and water conservation standards for each product that is subject to a standard under 10 C.F.R. sections 430 and 431 as those provisions existed on [the reference date]," she said, and H600 would change that statutory reference date from January 19, 2017 to an updated 2025 date.
Shaowski emphasized that the Vermont rules do not automatically override federal law; the state standards as written become enforceable only if the federal standard is "withdrawn, repealed or otherwise voided," or if a federal waiver process permits a state-level standard. Members asked detailed questions about whether the Department of Public Service has updated rules since 2018, how Energy Star fits into state standards, and whether the commissioner has authority to adopt additional product standards when in the state's interest.
Committee members also discussed the correct effective date to cite for the 2025 federal changes; Shaowski noted there has been litigation and procedural complexity around the federal update and recommended hearing from advocates who follow the process closely before finalizing the bill's date language.
The committee did not vote on H600. Members said the bill is mainly cleanup and timing language but flagged the date and litigation history as items warranting confirmation with advocates prior to final action.
