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Congressman Bob Latta (R-OH) and Congressman Peter Welch (D-VT) today reintroduced the Energy Star Program Integrity Act, bipartisan legislation to promote continued development of energy efficient appliances through the Energy Star Program.

“Energy efficiency is a critical component of our national energy strategy,” said Latta and Welch. “The Energy Star Program Integrity Act will strengthen the Energy Star Program, which has already proven to be a successful tool in advancing the development and use of energy efficient technologies and promoting economic expansion and job growth for participating manufacturers. This legislation is the product of bipartisan collaboration with impacted stakeholders and will balance the program's incentives and agency oversight with consumer protections." 

Under current procedures, when an Energy Star product is disqualified from the program, a reinstatement process is initiated whereby the manufacturer and the administering agency resolve the cause for disqualification. Within this process, it is determined whether any consumers have been harmed and if compensation is warranted. Since this process has proven successful, the Energy Star Program Integrity Act simply codifies the existing process. This modest fix will help to deter costly class action lawsuits that could chill participation in the Energy Star Program.

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