Trump plans to end Energy Star home appliance program amid EPA reorganization

(Reuters) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans to end Energy Star, a program whose iconic blue labels have certified the energy efficiency of home appliances for more than three decades, as part of its broader reorganization, two sources briefed on the reorganization told Reuters.

The proposed end of the popular program would come as part of the dissolution of the EPA’s Office of Atmospheric Protection (OAP) and the Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards – presented as part of Friday’s agency reorganization announcement.

The plans to close the popular Energy Star program, first reported by CNN and the Washington Post, came after an OAP staff meeting on Monday.

The EPA on Tuesday declined to comment specifically on Energy Star but said “EPA is delivering organizational improvements to the personnel structure that will directly benefit the American people.”

In March, nearly three dozen trade industry groups and appliance companies including the Chamber of Commerce, Bosch, Carrier and the Air-Conditioning, Heating, & Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) sent a letter to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin urging him not to end Energy Star because it was a good “non-regulatory” collaboration between the private sector and federal government.

“Eliminating it will not serve the American people. In fact, because the ENERGY STAR brand is highly recognizable to consumers, it is likely that, should the program be eliminated, it will be supplanted by initiatives that drive results counter to the goals of this administration such as decreased features, functionality, performance, or increased costs,” the letter said.

Other OAP programs that are uncertain amid the reorganization include the voluntary methane reporting program for the oil and gas sector.

Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire said ending the program would raise costs for consumers.

“Let’s be clear: Cutting the popular Energy Star program – which helps everyday households and businesses save on their energy bills – would mark another rash attempt by this administration to line the pockets of billionaires and utility companies at the expense of hardworking Americans,” she said in a statement.

(Reporting by Valerie Volcovici in Washington and Ismail Shakil in Ottawa; Editing by Andrea Ricci)