Attorney General Lisa Madigan joined a state and municipal coalition to announce legal action against the federal government for violating federal law by delaying energy efficiency standards for several common consumer and commercial products, including ceiling fans, portable air conditioners, walk-in coolers and freezers, commercial boilers and more. Madigan and the coalition allege the Trump administration has blocked the common sense standards that would save consumers and businesses approximately $24 billion, provide energy savings equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of 36 million households and eliminate millions of tons of air pollution.

The six standards being blocked offer dramatic air pollution reductions, as well as energy- and cost-savings to consumers and businesses. According to Department of Energy (DOE) estimates, the standards would combine to eliminate emissions of 292 million tons of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, 734 thousand tons of the pollution that creates soot and smog, 1.2 million tons of the potent climate change pollutant methane, and over 1,000 pounds of highly-toxic mercury, over a 30-year period. The Appliance Standard Awareness Project estimates that the efficiency standards would together save over 443 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity – the equivalent of the annual energy consumption of over 36 million households. The DOE estimates that the six standards would provide net savings to consumers and businesses of approximately $23.7 billion. Madigan and the coalition charge that the DOE is violating both the federal Energy Policy and Conservation Act (“EPCA”) and Administrative Procedures Act (“APA”) in the following ways:

• delaying the effective date of final energy efficiency standards for ceiling fans; and
• stalling the final standards for compressors, walk-in coolers and freezers, power supply equipment, portable air conditioners, and commercial boilers, by failing to publish them in the Federal Register.

In addition to Tuesday’s announcement, last week Madigan condemned the federal executive action to potentially eliminate the Clean Power Plan and also opposed the drastic budget cuts proposed for the Environmental Protection Agency.