SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Trump Administration Slapped With Lawsuits Over Blocked Energy Efficiency Standards
'By blocking these common sense standards, the administration is reversing progress in cleaning the air we breathe and fighting climate change'
Apr 03, 2017
A coalition of state attorneys general--led by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman--announced plans Monday to file a lawsuit against the Department of Energy (DOE) under President Donald Trump for blocking Obama-era energy efficiency standards for a variety of commercial and consumer products.
"Energy efficiency standards are vital to public health, our environment, and consumers. This is yet another example of how the Trump administration's polluter-first energy policy has real and harmful impacts on the public health, environment--and pocketbooks--of New Yorkers," Schneiderman said in a statement.
Reuters noted that the "challenge came after the U.S. Department of Energy last month set plans to delay rules proposed under the Obama administration, [which were] intended to improve the efficiency of several consumer and commercial products."
Schneiderman's office explained that the lawsuit charges "that the Trump DOE is violating both the federal Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA) and Administrative Procedures Act (APA) in the following ways:"
- delaying the effective date of final energy efficiency standards for ceiling fans.
- stalling the final standards for compressors, walk-in coolers and freezers, power supply equipment, portable air conditioners, and commercial boilers, by failing to publish them in the Federal Register.
Included in the suit are the state attorneys general of California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington, as well as the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the City of New York.
It's not the only lawsuit over energy efficiency standards. Also on Monday, the Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and Earthjustice announced (pdf) a plan to slap the Energy Department with a separate lawsuit.
"If the Trump Administration continues blocking these common sense measures that will help people across the country, we'll take them to court," Earthjustice attorney Timothy Ballo said. "It is past time for the DOE to take the simple action of publishing these completed rules so we can all start to reap the benefits."
In a statement, Earthjustice explained the myriad benefits of enacting the new energy efficiency standards:
Energy efficiency is the most affordable and effective solution to America's energy problems. Appliance and equipment efficiency standards save energy, increase the reliability of the electricity grid, reduce consumer energy bills, and decrease pollution. According to DOE projections, the standards prescribed by the rules will save about three percent of all the energy used in the United States for all purposes in a year--over a 30-year period. These energy savings will save consumers money on their utility bills, yielding more than $11 billion in net savings over 30 years.
The standards will also enhance public health by reducing emissions of carbon dioxide by more than 25 million metric tons by 2030--equivalent to the emissions generated by the annual electricity use of more than three million U.S homes. Additionally, they will reduce emissions of other harmful air pollutants, such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, by hundreds of thousands of tons.
Schneiderman made similar arguments:
"By blocking these common sense standards, the administration is reversing progress in cleaning the air we breathe and fighting climate change--and denying consumers and businesses some $24 billion in savings," said Schneiderman. "I will continue to use the full force of my office to compel the Trump administration to live up to its obligations to the law and the people of New York."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
oregonconnecticutillinoismaineearthjusticemethanenew yorksierra clubvermontnrdctrumpismmassachusettspennsylvaniacalifornia
A coalition of state attorneys general--led by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman--announced plans Monday to file a lawsuit against the Department of Energy (DOE) under President Donald Trump for blocking Obama-era energy efficiency standards for a variety of commercial and consumer products.
"Energy efficiency standards are vital to public health, our environment, and consumers. This is yet another example of how the Trump administration's polluter-first energy policy has real and harmful impacts on the public health, environment--and pocketbooks--of New Yorkers," Schneiderman said in a statement.
Reuters noted that the "challenge came after the U.S. Department of Energy last month set plans to delay rules proposed under the Obama administration, [which were] intended to improve the efficiency of several consumer and commercial products."
Schneiderman's office explained that the lawsuit charges "that the Trump DOE is violating both the federal Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA) and Administrative Procedures Act (APA) in the following ways:"
- delaying the effective date of final energy efficiency standards for ceiling fans.
- stalling the final standards for compressors, walk-in coolers and freezers, power supply equipment, portable air conditioners, and commercial boilers, by failing to publish them in the Federal Register.
Included in the suit are the state attorneys general of California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington, as well as the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the City of New York.
It's not the only lawsuit over energy efficiency standards. Also on Monday, the Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and Earthjustice announced (pdf) a plan to slap the Energy Department with a separate lawsuit.
"If the Trump Administration continues blocking these common sense measures that will help people across the country, we'll take them to court," Earthjustice attorney Timothy Ballo said. "It is past time for the DOE to take the simple action of publishing these completed rules so we can all start to reap the benefits."
In a statement, Earthjustice explained the myriad benefits of enacting the new energy efficiency standards:
Energy efficiency is the most affordable and effective solution to America's energy problems. Appliance and equipment efficiency standards save energy, increase the reliability of the electricity grid, reduce consumer energy bills, and decrease pollution. According to DOE projections, the standards prescribed by the rules will save about three percent of all the energy used in the United States for all purposes in a year--over a 30-year period. These energy savings will save consumers money on their utility bills, yielding more than $11 billion in net savings over 30 years.
The standards will also enhance public health by reducing emissions of carbon dioxide by more than 25 million metric tons by 2030--equivalent to the emissions generated by the annual electricity use of more than three million U.S homes. Additionally, they will reduce emissions of other harmful air pollutants, such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, by hundreds of thousands of tons.
Schneiderman made similar arguments:
"By blocking these common sense standards, the administration is reversing progress in cleaning the air we breathe and fighting climate change--and denying consumers and businesses some $24 billion in savings," said Schneiderman. "I will continue to use the full force of my office to compel the Trump administration to live up to its obligations to the law and the people of New York."
A coalition of state attorneys general--led by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman--announced plans Monday to file a lawsuit against the Department of Energy (DOE) under President Donald Trump for blocking Obama-era energy efficiency standards for a variety of commercial and consumer products.
"Energy efficiency standards are vital to public health, our environment, and consumers. This is yet another example of how the Trump administration's polluter-first energy policy has real and harmful impacts on the public health, environment--and pocketbooks--of New Yorkers," Schneiderman said in a statement.
Reuters noted that the "challenge came after the U.S. Department of Energy last month set plans to delay rules proposed under the Obama administration, [which were] intended to improve the efficiency of several consumer and commercial products."
Schneiderman's office explained that the lawsuit charges "that the Trump DOE is violating both the federal Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA) and Administrative Procedures Act (APA) in the following ways:"
- delaying the effective date of final energy efficiency standards for ceiling fans.
- stalling the final standards for compressors, walk-in coolers and freezers, power supply equipment, portable air conditioners, and commercial boilers, by failing to publish them in the Federal Register.
Included in the suit are the state attorneys general of California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington, as well as the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the City of New York.
It's not the only lawsuit over energy efficiency standards. Also on Monday, the Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and Earthjustice announced (pdf) a plan to slap the Energy Department with a separate lawsuit.
"If the Trump Administration continues blocking these common sense measures that will help people across the country, we'll take them to court," Earthjustice attorney Timothy Ballo said. "It is past time for the DOE to take the simple action of publishing these completed rules so we can all start to reap the benefits."
In a statement, Earthjustice explained the myriad benefits of enacting the new energy efficiency standards:
Energy efficiency is the most affordable and effective solution to America's energy problems. Appliance and equipment efficiency standards save energy, increase the reliability of the electricity grid, reduce consumer energy bills, and decrease pollution. According to DOE projections, the standards prescribed by the rules will save about three percent of all the energy used in the United States for all purposes in a year--over a 30-year period. These energy savings will save consumers money on their utility bills, yielding more than $11 billion in net savings over 30 years.
The standards will also enhance public health by reducing emissions of carbon dioxide by more than 25 million metric tons by 2030--equivalent to the emissions generated by the annual electricity use of more than three million U.S homes. Additionally, they will reduce emissions of other harmful air pollutants, such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, by hundreds of thousands of tons.
Schneiderman made similar arguments:
"By blocking these common sense standards, the administration is reversing progress in cleaning the air we breathe and fighting climate change--and denying consumers and businesses some $24 billion in savings," said Schneiderman. "I will continue to use the full force of my office to compel the Trump administration to live up to its obligations to the law and the people of New York."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.