The Environmental Protection Agencyand the Department of Energylaunched the Energy Star program in 1992 as part of the Clean Air Act. The program was passed with strong bipartisan support under the President George H. W. Bush administration. It’s used to designate and promote energy-efficient appliances and architecture. Energy Star’s 33-year run may soon end, however. Since 1992, Energy Star has helped U.S. families and businesses save billion in energy costs, and has staved off approximately 4 billion metric tons of climate pollution in the form of greenhouse gases. Energy Star Buildings meet stringent performance metrics established by the EPA, based on a 1 to 100 scale—buildings must achieve a 75 for Energy Star rating. A recent Office of Air and Pollutionmeeting alerted reporters to the Trump administration’s plan to terminate the program. EPA director Lee Zeldin, on May 2, announced plans to scale down the EPA more broadly, albeit without explicitly mentioning the Energy Star program. Zeldin said the White House’s proposed changes to the EPA could save taxpayers billion, but didn’t give details as to how. Zeldin also said, “EPA expects to have employment levels near those seen when President Ronald Reagan occupied the White House.” Jeanne Shaheen, Democratic Senator of New Hampshire, called the decision to terminate Energy Star a win for billionaires. “Let’s be clear: Cutting the popular Energy Star program—which helps everyday households and businesses save on their energy bills—would mark another rash attempt by this administration to line the pockets of billionaires and utility companies at the expense of hardworking Americans,” Shaheen said in a statement. Ted Kelly, U.S. Clean Energy, Environmental Defense Fund director, was also quick to respond. “For more than three decades,” Kelly said, “the Energy Star program has helped American families shop for reliably energy-efficient home appliances that would save them money. Generations have looked for the blue Energy Star label in stores when they were buying a refrigerator or dishwasher and wanted something they could trust.” Kelly continued: “Companies chose to participate in the voluntary program because they knew their customers liked it.” After the decision was made public, over 1,000 companies wrote letters to the EPA in support of the Energy Star program. Vivian Loftness, an architecture professor at Carnegie Mellon University, said: “This takes us out of a position of leadership.” In an op-ed published in The Washington Post, William K. Reilly a former administrator of the EPA, called it “a case of mistaken identity.” Adding that “In its antipathy to climate activism, the EPA has taken an ax to that rare government program embraced by both seller and buyer, builder and environmentalist, because everyone comes out ahead.” The announcements comes not long after other defunding efforts, Medicaid being a hot button one. The proposed 2026 federal budget deprives architecture schools and nonprofits of vital resources, as part of National Endowment for the Arts cuts. Zeldin previously slashed EPA spending, taking aim at billion in grants that would have supported sustainability initiatives, DEI, natural disaster relief, and environmental justice work. AN reached out to the EPA and DOE for comment. #trump #administration #moves #terminate #energy