Washington - With the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee set to examine the Appliance Standards Improvement Act in a hearing tomorrow, U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) today detailed amendments to the bill that he may pursue and that he will raise during the hearing. Among other issues, Menendez's prospective amendments would help ensure enforcement of energy-efficiency standards, help states implement higher appliance energy efficiency standards and ensure that efficiency standards are as accurate as possible. These efforts are being hailed by energy and environmental groups.

Menendez also expressed encouragement at a joint Department of Energy-Environmental Protection Agency announcement today that they would soon come to a joint decision as to which agency will be in charge of energy efficiency standards for solid-state lights (such as LED lighting).

Menendez's possible amendments include:

· Giving states the authority to enforce federal minimum efficiency standards - the DOE's appliance efficiency program suffers greatly from a lack of resources and this includes a lack of resources to enforce the law. This amendment would allow state attorneys general to go to federal court and enforce these standards. By sharing the burden with the states, the law will be enforced more rigorously and with no additional cost to the federal government.

· Facilitating state waivers for stronger energy-efficiency standards - manufacturers often have the data states need to prove their case to receive a waiver for stronger standards, and they refuse to divulge it. The amendment would prohibit the DOE from denying states waivers on the basis of not providing data in the sole control of manufacturers. This will provide a strong incentive for manufacturers to share data and allow a more realistic chance for states that want stronger standard.

· Ensuring the most accurate appliance efficiency standards - several products (such as clothes and dish washers) have standards for both energy and water use. Others have multiple metrics for different components (ceiling fans) or different product qualities (residential boilers). Yet the Bush DOE and some manufacturers maintain that DOE does not have the authority to require standards with multiple metrics. This amendment would finally put this debate to rest by allowing DOE to use multiple metrics.

· Closing the "Reflector Lamp Loophole" - for 17 years certain reflector lamps have been exempted from lighting efficiency standards. As a result these "bulged reflector" (BR) and "elliptical reflector" (ER) lamps have gone from a niche product to a significant portion of the reflector lamp market. Congress narrowed this loophole in 2007, but did not close it completely. This amendment will once and for all fix this loophole and some have calculated it could save consumers over $2 billion in electricity costs over the next 30 years.

· Providing clearer guidance on information reporting - currently, the DOE does not have a systematic or consistent way of collecting the data it needs to make standards. In addition, manufacturers and retailers sometimes refuse to provide the data the DOE needs. In order to make fact-based rulemakings, the DOE must promulgate a rule spelling out what data it needs, how often it needs it, and how manufacturers and retailers can report this data. Such a uniform requirement will also give manufacturers more notice and predictability on reporting data, rather than doing it on an ad hoc basis.

"This is important legislation that will ultimately result in lower energy bills for American families who are already watching every penny in these tough economic times," said Menendez. "We know that had energy efficiency standards just for refrigerators not been adopted in the 1970s, our nation would be using four percent more energy today. The appliances and electronics in our homes are a large part of our energy usage - the more efficient we require them to be made, the better it is for our family budgets, our national economy and our planet.

"As a proponent of efficient solid-state lighting and as a senator from the state that is leading the way in LED lighting manufacturing, it was encouraging to see the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency commit to an agreement by April. It is important to clarify the development of energy-efficiency standards for this cutting-edge technology, and I will hold those agencies to this timeline."

Steven Nadel, Executive Director of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, said:

"Some provisions of appliance standards law are very restrictive and prevent the U.S. Department of Energy and states from undertaking actions that can save energy without burdening manufacturers. We appreciate Senator Menendez's interest in sponsoring several amendments to ease these restrictions so that more energy can be saved while manufacturer's core interests are protected."

Lane Burt, Energy Policy Analyst at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said:

"Senator Menendez is working to improve one of the nation's most effective energy efficiency policies. His proposal to close loopholes, give the Department of Energy more flexibility in setting standards, and empower states to become players in the process is a common sense approach that will save both money and energy."


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