Delayed New Efficiency Standards Draw Energy Department Suit

摘要

The Department of Energy’s failure to update energy efficiency standards for several consumer and commercial products is causing increased air pollution and higher energy bills for users of those products, environmental groups say in a lawsuit filed Friday in a New York federal court. The department’s delay violates the Energy Policy and Conservation Act, which sets deadlines for the periodic review of those standards to ensure they’re “set at the maximum level of energy efficiency” feasible, according to the lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. The Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, Center for Biological Diversity, and three other groups say the department has missed EPCA deadlines for more than two dozen products since 2016. The products include air conditioners, water heaters, dishwashers, and commercial walk-in coolers.