Energy Efficiency News: 8 States Sue Trump Administration For Delaying Standards

Attorneys general from eight states said Monday they filed suit against the Trump administration for delaying energy efficiency standards for such consumer products as ceiling fans, portable air conditions, walk-in coolers and freezers and commercial boilers.

The six standards blocked by the administration are “vital to public health,” New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman tweeted.

The suit, filed in the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York, accuses the administration of violating federal law and costing consumers and businesses billions of dollars. It alleges the administration is violating “anti-backsliding” provisions.

Read: Coal Industry Executive Doubts Mining Jobs Coming Back

The administration delayed the rules March 19 for at least three months, saying Energy Secretary Rick Perry needed more time to review them. The attorneys general sent a letter Friday to Perry, notifying him of their intent to sue.

“This is yet another example of how the Trump administration’s polluter-first energy policy has real and harmful impacts on the public health, environment – and pocketbooks – of New Yorkers,” Schneiderman said in a statement. “By blocking these common sense standards, the administration is reversing progress in cleaning the air we breathe and fighting climate change – and denying consumers and businesses some $24 billion in savings.”

Read: Is Another Financial Crisis On the Way? European Banks Warn Against Easing Banking Regulations

California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Oregon, Vermont and Washington joined New York in the suit.

“Energy efficiency standards are a win-win for consumers and the environment,” California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said. “Over the lifetime of energy-efficient products, consumers are projected to save billions of dollars in energy costs. And, through reduced energy use, millions of tons of greenhouse gas emissions will be eliminated. Secretary Perry and the Trump administration need to follow through on their obligation under the law to put these standards into effect without further delay.”

"Energy efficiency standards are common-sense steps we can take to significantly reduce pollution and protect our environment and our health," Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan said.

Department of Energy estimates implementing the standards would save consumers and businesses $23.7 billion. They would eliminate 292 million tons of carbon dioxide, 734,000 tons of soot and smog, 1.2 million tons of methane and more than 1,000 pounds of mercury in a 30-year period, DOE estimates. The Appliance Standard Awareness project estimates the standards would save 443 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, enough to power 36 million households.