How Trump’s latest rollback could raise your utility bills
The federal Energy Star program is among the most successful government initiatives in modern history. Its signature blue label is now nearly as recognizable as the Nike swoosh or a Coca-Cola can, and appliances bearing it save American consumers some $ 40 billion annually in energy costs, or about $ 350 for every taxpayer dollar that goes in.
This week, however, President Donald Trump’s administration moved to kill it, The Washington Post first reported. Grist reviewed an Environmental Protection Agency document obtained by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee that shows the program is slated to be “eliminated.”
“Energy Star has saved American families and businesses more than half a trillion dollars in energy costs,” said Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, the ranking member of the committee, in a statement to Grist. “By eliminating this program, …