Press Release  AG Healey Opposes Department of Energy Proposal to End Cost-saving Energy Efficiency Standards

BOSTON — Attorney General Maura Healey today joined a coalition of 16 attorneys general and the City of New York in opposing the Department of Energy’s (DOE) proposal to overturn energy efficiency requirements for a variety of commonly used light bulbs that yield significant yearly cost savings to Massachusetts consumers and businesses.

In the comment letter sent today to DOE, the coalition asserts that the proposal to exclude many types of common “general service” light bulbs from meeting heightened energy efficiency requirements would make consumers and businesses across the country pay billions of dollars more for electricity, while causing increases in dangerous greenhouse gas emissions and other harmful air pollution, including in Massachusetts.

“We are fighting this proposal to prevent Massachusetts families and businesses from paying hundreds of dollars more on their electricity bills and to avoid harmful increases in greenhouse gas emissions,” AG Healey said.

The light bulb requirements that would be rolled back under the current DOE proposal were adopted by the Obama Administration under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA).  EPCA requires DOE to set minimal efficiency standards for common consumer and commercial products in order to reduce the demand for energy, lower energy costs overall, and to reduce pollution from energy production.

The comment letter urges DOE to maintain the stricter definitions for general service lamps and incandescent light bulbs enacted by the prior administration, which include decorative light bulbs such as candelabras and globe lamps, and not to revert to older definitions that do not apply efficiency standards for these commonly used lamps. The current requirements prohibit retailers from selling light bulbs, including the decorative types, that do not meet the minimum standard of 45 lumens per watt. DOE’s proposal would cost consumers $12 billion each year in lost electricity savings by 2025, or approximately $100 per household per year. According to a recent report from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, DOE’s proposal would result in an extra 19,000 tons of nitrogen oxides, 23,000 tons of sulfur dioxide, and 34 million metric tons of climate-changing carbon dioxide emissions each year by 2025 – the annual carbon dioxide emissions equal to that of more than seven million cars on the road.

 The comment letter asserts that the proposed revisions to the energy standards would violate the Energy Policy and Conservation Act and would be unlawful under the Administrative Procedure Act.

Joining AG Healey in sending today’s comment letter are the attorneys general of California, New York, New Jersey, Oregon, Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Vermont, Washington, and the District of Columbia, as well as the City of New York. 

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