Even though the Trump administration has slowed progress toward more energy efficient appliances for the American people, states are taking it upon themselves to keep the momentum going.
Here’s a look at what the states have been doing this year, according to Lauren Urbanek, senior advocate for the National Resources Defense Council’s Center for Energy Efficiency Standards. She writes:
Let’s start with success in the Green Mountain state. Vermont was already a leader in state standards, enacting legislation in May 2017 that adopts current federal energy efficiency standards for appliances and equipment, “so that the same standards will be in place in Vermont should the federal standards be repealed or voided.” This is an important precedent that other states should follow. Vermont continued the momentum in 2018 by passing H. 410, which will require efficiency standards for more than a dozen products.
According to Urbanek, Vermont is the only state to pass a standards bill this year, but others made significant progress that will set them up for success in 2019.
Washington introduced House Bill 2327 in January, which would require standards for more than 20 new products, including faucets, showerheads, and computers. While the bill passed the House, it didn’t make it out of committee in the Senate — but we’re not discouraged. Such a positive reception gives us high hopes for the 2019 legislative session.
This isn’t the first time Washington has tackled efficiency standards — the state already has them for products including pool pumps and water dispensers, which are already saving money and energy. Efficiency standards bills have been introduced in recent legislative sessions, but none was as wide-reaching as the most recent bill.
If it becomes law in the future, residents will save big — more than $200 million on their utility bills by 2025. The savings grow to $365 million in 2035, while reducing carbon pollution by 400,000 metric tons annually, equivalent to eliminating the emissions from 85,000 cars. To be clear: those are the benefits Washington households and businesses will receive each year thanks to the proposed state standards — real savings that can be spent and invested in other parts of their economy.
The neighboring New England states both had hearings on appliance standards bills (H 4737 in Massachusetts and S 2362 in Rhode Island) and passed them out of committee — and Massachusetts’ bill even passed the House. Five thousand miles west, Hawaii held a hearing for a state standards bill, but it didn’t pass the committee. This is not unusual in state legislatures, though. It often takes a cycle or two for lawmakers to get comfortable with a concept and get it done. We’re thrilled that no matter which coast you’re on (or in the middle of the Pacific, in Hawaii’s case), appliance standards have gained steam.
New York adopted state appliance standards in the 1980s, but the majority have since been preempted by federal action. Given the lack of current federal leadership, New York is getting back into the appliance standards game in a big way. Governor Andrew Cuomo touted state appliance standards in his recent State of the State address, highlighting them as a proven way to achieve significant energy savings.
The NRDC expects legislation for a number of products offering significant savings for New Yorkers, as well as focus on appliance standards by the US Climate Alliance to advance standards across the Alliance and around the country.
While states can take limited action on standards because of preemption, this year’s level of state interest is encouraging. States know that standards are good for their residents, businesses, and manufacturers — and for cutting power plant emissions. If the Department of Energy won’t act, states can — and should.
