TRENTON
– Attorney General Peter C. Harvey
today joined with Attorneys General from
13 other states, the Pennsylvania Environmental
Secretary and the City of New York to
file suit against the federal Department
of Energy for violating congressional
mandates to adopt, by clearly specified
deadlines, stronger energy-saving standards
for 22 common appliances that use large
amounts of electricity, natural gas and
oil.
The
standards sought by the lawsuit, according
to the federal government’s own
numbers, would generate substantial savings
for consumers and reduce air pollution
and global warming emissions from power
plants.
"By
improving the efficiency standards for
these common appliances, we can reduce
the air pollution coming into New Jersey
from out-of-state power plants and lower
utility bills for our consumers,"
said Acting Governor Richard J. Codey.
"We are taking legal action to protect
our environment and the health of all
New Jersey families."
"We
need stronger efficiency standards for
appliances that will reduce electricity
demand, reduce the drain on our energy
resources and reduce pollution,"
said New Jersey Attorney General Peter
C. Harvey. "By ignoring a congressional
mandate to adopt such standards, the Department
of Energy has left us more vulnerable
in the current energy crunch. We are taking
legal action to ensure that there is no
more foot-dragging on this important issue."
Congress
directed the Department of Energy to strengthen
efficiency standards for a wide range
of household and commercial products,
including furnaces, water heaters, clothes
washers, dryers, air conditioners, dishwashers,
heat pumps, ranges, ovens, motors and
lamps. Congress established initial efficiency
standards for most of the products, and
directed the Department of Energy to periodically
review and strengthen them. For the remaining
products, the Department of Energy is
to establish initial efficiency standards
and also periodically strengthen them.
The
Department of Energy is six to thirteen
years behind schedule and has not adopted
any appliance efficiency standards since
January 2001.
The
lawsuit was filed in the United States
District Court for the Southern District
of New York. New Jersey filed suit with
New York, California, Connecticut, Illinois,
Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire,
New Mexico, North Carolina, Pennsylvania,
Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin and New
York City.
The
states’ complaint, including an
attached chart of violations by the Department
of Energy, is available online linked
to this press release at www.njpublicsafety.com.
Appliance
efficiency standards capitalize on improved
technology and require that the covered
appliances use less electricity, gas or
oil while providing the same or improved
levels of service and reliability. In
the past, both the federal government
and industry have agreed that national
efficiency standards are one of the fairest
and most cost-effective ways to reduce
the use of energy.
Based
on estimates by the Department of Energy,
stronger standards could result in average
annual energy savings equal to the total
annual energy needs of between 3 million
and 12 million American households, depending
on how fast the new standards are phased
in and what new standards are set. The
annual electricity savings alone would
roughly equal the output of 13 to 42 large
power plants.
The
states wrote to the Department of Energy
on July 1, 2005, requesting that it comply
with the law and commit to a binding schedule
for the establishment of stronger efficiency
standards. They alerted the agency that
without such a schedule, the states would
commence federal litigation. To date,
the Department of Energy has not responded
to the letter.
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