Three top Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee are pressing the EPA to explain why the agency's EnergyStar webpage is down, while the rest of the EPA website is still operational.
Committee Chairman Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and subcommittee chairs Paul Tonko (D-NY) and Diana DeGette (D-CO)
wrote to Acting EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler
, pointing out that "The EnergyStar program website is currently deactivated, preventing consumers from accessing key resources, finding EnergyStar products, building energy efficient homes, and realizing energy savings. The website attributes the removal of these resources to the current federal government shutdown, but the EPA website appears to remain active."
The letter notes that the Trump administration has "continually sought to defund and otherwise undermine the program."
The
EnergyStar page
currently displays this message: "
The U.S. federal government is closed due to a lapse in appropriations. For the duration of the U.S. government shutdown, all ENERGY STAR tools, resources, and data services will not be available." Links to resources on EnergyStar products and building efficiency are deactivated.
The Hill
Jan. 16, 2019
Acting Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) chief Andrew Wheeler faced harsh criticisms from Senate Democrats Wednesday over what they see as inaction on a climate change "crisis."
Democrats on the Environment and Public Works Committee faulted Wheeler for the EPA's roll-back of Obama-era policies on greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution and other issues, arguing Wheeler's continued leadership at the EPA would harm the nation's environment.
Wheeler, meanwhile, recognized that climate change is a problem, but downplayed the extent of the issue. "I believe climate change is a global issue that must be addressed globally," he said. "I would not call it the greatest crisis."
Democrats can't block Wheeler's confirmation on their own in a Senate led by a majority of 53 Republicans. And GOP lawmakers appear to be standing united behind Wheeler.
More . . .
Washington Post
Jan. 15, 2019
Wendy Hartley says she was once "cautiously optimistic" that the Environmental Protection Agency would ban several uses of a toxic chemical that killed her 21-year-old son. Now she's a part of a lawsuit suing the agency to make sure that happens.
More . . .
Robinson+Cole has released its January 2019 compendium of federal and state tax incentives for energy efficiency and renewable energy.
Read the compendium
here.
NEW IN CONGRESS
Sponsor: Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA)
Introduced: Jan. 8, 2019
H.R. 330 would
require that 100 percent of electricity sold in the United States be generated from renewable sources by 2035, require greenhouse gas emissions to be 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050, and create a national energy efficiency standard.
AGENCY ACTION
DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy is holding a call on "Resiliency in the Face of Disaster: Energy Efficiency’s Role," on January 24, 2019 1:00pm-2:30pm EST.
According to the office, "
energy efficiency can provide benefits that are especially helpful in the face of disaster. This call will cover one of the most pressing issues of our time by looking at the ways energy efficiency can improve resiliency in different regions of the country."
Click here to register
.
ARCHIVES
