The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations passed a recent bill out of committee that involved funding for the Environmental Protection Agency's ENERGY STAR program.
This is a big step forward, especially since just last spring, the White House stumped for cutting the ENERGY STAR program completely. The newest rumblings out of Congress suggest a more positive outlook in comparison, most notably for the commercial buildings industry, which depends on ENERGY STAR's Portfolio Manager to benchmark building energy, waste and water.
ENERGY STAR has become a highly popular program from the EPA that has garnered bipartisan support since its creation during the George H.W. Bush Administration. Nearly half of all American homeowners own an Energy Star-rated appliance, and 16,000 companies voluntarily participate in the program, according to Consortium for Energy Efficiency.
Industry officials have participated in lobbying efforts to keep ENERGY STAR funded. BOMA’s advocacy staff arranged meetings with senior staffers on the House and Senate Appropriations Committees and sent a call to action alert asking BOMA members to weigh in with their support of ENERGY STAR. The inclusion of the program in the committee’s bill offers a glimmer of hope that these steps are having a direct impact.
To obtain more information on what you can do to save ENERGY STAR, visit BOMA Grassroots Action Center.
