The Trump administration is shutting down the Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star program, which rates the efficiency of new appliances and buildings, including homes and industrial facilities. The EPA is reportedly cutting the Climate Protection Partnerships division that includes the Energy Star program, as well as the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program, which requires businesses to report the release of gases that cause global warming.
“The Energy Star program and all the other climate work, outside of what’s required by statute, is being de-prioritized and eliminated,” Paul Gunning of the EPA told a group of employees at a meeting Monday, per The New York Times.
Created in 1992 under President George H.W. Bush, the Energy Star program is a public-private partnership that costs about $32 million to operate annually but is credited with helping to save billions in energy costs each year, and more than $500 billion since its inception. The nonprofit coalition Alliance to Save Energy told CNN that the program returns roughly $350 in savings for every federal dollar spent.
Earlier this year, more than two dozen industry groups, including the Chamber of Commerce and air conditioning company Carrier, sent a letter to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin urging him not to end the Energy Star program, saying it is a voluntary and productive collaboration between the private sector and government.
“Eliminating it will not serve the American people,” the letter said, per Reuters. “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.”
Steven Nadel, executive director of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, said the loss of the program would hurt consumers directly. “If you wanted to raise families’ energy bills, getting rid of the Energy Star label would be a pretty good way,” he said in a statement. “This would take away basic information from consumers who want to choose cost-saving products easily. There’s a reason this program has been so popular with consumers and manufacturers alike.”