Press Releases

On March 7, 2011, the Department of Energy (DOE) published a final rule that imposed blanket third-party certification requirements for all products applying for participation in the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ENERGY STAR program.  Unfortunately, the rule disregarded successful and existing industry programs and has increased the regulatory burden on manufacturers, as well as the cost of testing for manufacturers and the federal government.

On Tuesday, January 6, 2015, Representative Steve Womack (AR-3) reintroduced the ENERGY STAR Regulatory Improvement Act (H.R. 175) to address the ENERGY STAR program’s third-party certification requirement and its impact on the consumer electronics industry, which represents more than half of the savings generated by the ENERGY STAR program, in the 114th Congress.  Specifically, H.R. 175 would allow electronics manufacturers to earn their way out of the EPA’s burdensome requirement with a demonstrated track record of compliance. 

Upon reintroduction, Congressman Womack released the below statement:

“I am happy to reintroduce this legislation that will further serve the conservative goal of eliminating burdensome regulation and red tape.  The highly-touted ENERGY STAR brand, which American taxpayers and businesses have spent a good deal of money to build, should not have to serve as another example of overzealous bureaucracy.  By approaching this process in a commonsense manner, we can allow companies who might otherwise be put off by certification hurdles to join the ENERGY STAR label and get their products to market faster at the same time.”

The final text of the bill can be found here.

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