(The Center Square) – U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Arizona, wants the Environmental Protection Agency to reconsider any efforts to eliminate the Energy Star program.
The Trump administration has proposed ending the program, but in a letter to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, Gallego wrote Energy Star saves Arizonans money by providing them independent assurance that products from appliances to homes are energy-efficient investments.
“With energy prices continuing to be a top concern for American families, programs like Energy Star are more critical than ever,” Gallego wrote Zeldin, a former congressman from New York.
The Energy Star program was launched in 1992 during President George H.W. Bush’s administration. The goal was to emphasize the alignment between economic growth, energy efficiency and air quality protection. Business leaders and environmentalists were behind the idea, and Energy Star has enjoyed bipartisan support ever since.
If you ask Gallego, it pays for Arizonans to have something such as Energy Star in place. The first-term senator said “a typical household can save about $450 annually on their energy bills” by choosing Energy Star products. Gallego added that 45% of Arizona’s housing and rental market is Energy Star-certified.
“The state boasts 270 participating businesses and organizations, including 14 manufacturers of Energy Star certified products and 140 companies constructing certified homes, apartments, commercial buildings, and schools,” wrote Gallego. “Energy Star utility partners serve 3.2 million customers and support thousands of facilities – including schools, hotels, hospitals, office buildings, and industrial plants.”
Eliminating the Energy Star program would, according to Gallego, be “a shortsighted decision” undermining decades of consumer savings and the conservation of energy.
“I strongly urge you to reconsider any efforts to eliminate the Energy Star program,” wrote Gallego. “Its continued operation is essential to advancing our shared goals of economic growth, energy efficiency, and making life more affordable for all Americans.”
The EPA confirmed in an email to The Center Square that the agency has received Gallego’s letter.
“EPA will review the letter and will respond through appropriate channels,” wrote an EPA spokesperson.
