ENERGY STAR oversight proposed to shift to DOE
In a Memorandum of Agreement released last week, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will no longer be the administrator of the ENERGY STAR program. All responsibilities of the ENERGY STAR program will be in the hands of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The program began in 1992 with its administration under the EPA. Under this Memorandum of Agreement the oversight of the DOE will remain in effect for a period of 10 years.
This decision comes right after the program received dedicated funding with bipartisan support. It is not clear if the shift will affect funding. The ENERGY STAR website has not yet updated their website to reflect these changes.
“USGBC strongly supports ENERGY STAR, which is one of the most successful public-private partnerships in U.S. history and is delivering massive energy cost savings to Americans while sharply reducing energy demand on the grid,” said Ben Evans, U.S. Green Building Council federal legislative director in a statement. “ENERGY STAR partner organizations, the public and Congress need to know more about how DOE would operate and fund the program moving forward.”
