COURT OVERTURNS LOWER EFFICIENCY STANDARDS FOR AIR CONDITIONERS
14 January 2004

Citing a "no-rollback" provision in Federal appliance-standard laws, a Federal Appeals Court has blocked the Bush Department of Energy from lowering energy-efficiency standards for air conditioners. New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, who sued to stop the rules change, said the decision was a declaration that the Executive branch cannot unilaterally rewrite laws, since it is the constitutional province of Congress to write or approve, or alter all legislation.

The Clinton administration had called for a 30% improvement in efficiency by 2006, which the Bush administration rolled back to 20%. The 10% difference may have cost consumers as much as $20 billion and could have required the construction of as many as 200 new power plants by 2030.

Since air-conditioning can draw as much as one-third of all electricity usage on the hottest summer days, increased efficiency is considered a major step toward improved energy security for the US. It may also help prevent grid failures in major cities, like the one that swept the northeast last summer, which is thought to be likely to save dozens if not hundreds of lives among the urban-dwelling elderly. An industry lobby group is contemplating a challenge to the ruling. [For more: Reuters]