US to strengthen enforcement of energy efficiency standards
- Source: Xinhua
- [09:53 October 14 2009]
- Comments
The US Department of Energy (DOE) on Tuesday announced three new steps to strengthen its ability to enforce energy efficiency standards as part of its efforts to save energy for American consumers and businesses.
The newly announced steps include the formation of an enforcement team within the DOE's Office of the General Counsel. It will randomly review manufacturers' compliance with DOE certification requirements.
Moreover, the DOE issued guidance further detailing its energy efficiency enforcement regulations.
It anticipated that the new standards would save Americans an estimated 250 billion to 300 billion US dollars over the next 30 years.
"For the sake of our environment and our economy, it's critical that we enforce our energy efficiency regulations," said Scott Blake Harris, general counsel of the department.
"Strong enforcement of the rules will encourage compliance and keep manufacturers who break the law from having a competitive advantage over manufacturers who play by the rules," he said.
The DOE had initiated investigations of alleged violations against both an air conditioner manufacturer and a freezer manufacturer this summer, as part of its tougher enforcement efforts under the new administration. Both investigations are expected to be concluded shortly.
In its new guidance on Energy Efficiency Enforcement Regulations, the department confirms that under existing DOE regulations, the DOE can take enforcement action and assess civil penalties if a manufacturer fails to properly certify a covered product and retain records.
The new enforcement team, reporting to the general counsel, comprised lawyers with extensive litigation and regulatory experience. As part of its increased enforcement efforts, it will initiate a compliance review of certification reports for covered consumer products.
Besides, the DOE will randomly select previously filed certification reports for review, request certification records as needed, and hold manufacturers accountable for failing to certify covered products according to its rules.
