Press Releases and Statements

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:

Renée Lani, Director of Regulatory Affairs

Phone: (202) 464-0836

Email: rlani@apga.org

APGA Expresses Concern About DOE’s Changes to Appliance Standards Rulemaking Process

Washington, D.C. (December 13, 2021) – The American Public Gas Association (APGA), representing more than 700 municipally owned natural gas systems in 38 states, issued the following statement in response to the publication of the Department of Energy’s final rule revising its rulemaking process for appliance efficiency standards:

“The American Public Gas Association (APGA) is disappointed that the Department of Energy (DOE) has chosen to roll back many of the recent updates that helped to modernize the Process Rule — especially the agency’s decision to eliminate its mandatory nature.

APGA’s members serve customers across the country who rely on natural gas-fired appliances, giving community-owned utilities a direct and vital interest in both the minimum efficiency standards for such products and the procedures used by DOE to establish them. As such, we are concerned that the changes included in the final rule will undermine the transparency and consistency of the agency’s appliance efficiency rulemakings. What’s more, these revisions could further compound the backlog of missed deadlines the program has recently faced.

Working alongside our members, APGA is a strong proponent of energy efficiency standards that are based on sound science, transparent analysis and robust economic justification — which in turn save Americans money, minimize emissions and safeguard consumer energy choice. We believe that energy efficiency will continue to be a cornerstone of our energy future, and that the efficient and resilient direct use of natural gas will play a critical role as we build that future.”