ICYMI: E.P.A. Retreats From Plans to End the Energy Star Program

Washington, D.C. – The New York Times reports that Donald Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency is facing backlash against its unpopular decision to end Energy Star, an appliance efficiency standards program that saves Americans more than $40 billion on household energy costs each year. The program, which has had bipartisan support for more than three decades, was targeted by Trump as part of his reckless and revenge-driven war on clean energy. 

“Donald Trump promised to lower costs – and instead, his energy policy is sending costs through the roof and making appliances more expensive. It’s no wonder his policies are also deeply unpopular with everyone from business leaders to fellow Republicans. Eliminating this program will suck money out of Americans’ wallets and create even more uncertainty for businesses already reeling from Trump’s tariffs,” said Climate Power senior advisor Alex Witt. “American families are already struggling to pay their bills – and instead of offering relief, Trump is trying to do everything he can to make life even more expensive.” 

The New York Times: E.P.A. Retreats From Plans to End the Energy Star Program

Lee Zeldin, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, has quietly retreated from plans to eliminate Energy Star, a popular program whose iconic blue labels help consumers to choose energy efficient dishwashers, refrigerators and other home appliances.

In a rare shift, Mr. Zeldin is reconsidering his announcement from May that he would end the program, which triggered intense pushback from business leaders and congressional Republicans, according to four people briefed on the matter who were not authorized to discuss it publicly.

Shortly after Mr. Zeldin said he would eliminate Energy Star, the E.P.A. renewed four contracts with ICF, a consulting firm that helps administer the program, according to federal records. One contract was renewed through September of 2030. The company did not respond to requests for comment.

Brigit Hirsch, a spokeswoman for the E.P.A., said in email that “no final decision has been made at this time” on whether to keep Energy Star…

“It is unclear what the economic activity generated by the Energy Star program is versus what the economic activity would be without this program,” Ms. Hirsch said, adding that “the Trump E.P.A. is committed to being good stewards of taxpayer dollars.”

Since its creation in 1992, Energy Star has helped households and businesses save more than $40 billion annually in energy bills, according to a 2023 federal report. The E.P.A. has spent a fraction of that amount — about $32 million — to run the program each year. 

Mr. Zeldin is weighing options for keeping Energy Star in some form, although a final decision has not been made and could be delayed by the government shutdown, said the four people briefed on the matter.

One option is transferring staff and funding for Energy Star to the Energy Department, which already plays a small role in running the program, the people said. Another is requiring appliance manufacturers to pay fees that would help cover the cost of the initiative.

Either choice would represent an unusual reversal for the E.P.A. In their zeal to terminate what President Trump has called the “green new scam,” agency officials have scrapped several other policies that even their allies in the oil, automotive and utility industries were not clamoring to reverse.

Regardless of what Mr. Zeldin decides, many E.P.A. employees who work on Energy Star have quit, retired or taken a buyout package since Mr. Trump took office. Other workers in the program have been furloughed as part of the government shutdown or reassigned as part of an agencywide reorganization…

“Energy Star is a hugely successful, voluntary program and the Energy Star logo is probably one of the most well-known logos in the country, if not the world,” said Francis Dietz, vice president of public affairs at the Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute, a trade group.

But for years, Mr. Trump has railed against efficiency standards for home appliances, saying in April that more efficient shower heads did not spray enough water on his “beautiful hair.” Russell T. Vought, the White House budget director, has also pushed the E.P.A. to slash what he sees as wasteful green spending.

Yet on Capitol Hill, Energy Star has attracted rare bipartisan support, with lawmakers in both parties saying the program lowers energy costs at a time of rising electricity prices nationwide.

“I know that my constituents like knowing what the energy usage is of a particular appliance so that they can factor that into their buying decisions,” Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine and chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, told CNN in May.

Ms. Collins declined to comment on Energy Star when asked by a reporter on Wednesday. In July, the Senate and House Appropriations Committees bucked Mr. Trump by proposing to provide level funding for the program for the next fiscal year.

The wrangling over Energy Star’s fate began in early May, when E.P.A. managers announced during an internal staff meeting that the program would grind to a halt.

“The Energy Star program and all the other climate work, outside of what’s required by statute, is being de-prioritized and eliminated,” a manager told employees during the meeting, according to a recording of the remarks reviewed by The New York Times.

During a congressional hearing two weeks later, Mr. Zeldin claimed that Energy Star was “not a statutory obligation set by Congress” and that “this program is an example of one that can be run outside of the government.” In fact, the Energy Policy Act of 2005 required the E.P.A. and the Energy Department to run the program. (The E.P.A. officials who helped Mr. Zeldin prepare for the hearing were not aware of this mandate, according to two people familiar with the matter.)

The pushback was swift and intense.

The following month, in June, a coalition of industry groups wrote in a letter to congressional leaders that they would “strongly support continuation” of the program. The groups represented a range of businesses, including appliance manufacturers, chemical companies, home builders, retail stores and even bakery owners and hot tub distributors.

Appliance manufacturers and retail stores in particular like Energy Star because it helps sales. Around 90 percent of Americans recognize the program’s logo and many see it as a trustworthy way to identify efficient products, surveys have shown.

“We’re very supportive of the program remaining in the federal government,” said Jill Notini, a spokeswoman for the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, one of the groups that signed the letter…