Energy Star program could be targeted for budget cut

Congress is awaiting President Donald Trump’s budget proposal with the details about his vision of government, and some preliminary elements of that plan are trickling out. According to some reports, the Environmental Protection Agency may lose as much as a quarter of its budget. And the energy and environmental publication E&E News says that one of the EPA’s programs, Energy Star — it puts those labels on appliances — could be slashed. The program is widely seen as a success for pushing innovation when it comes to energy use. The Obama administration said it saves consumers $34 billion a year in energy costs, but early Trump administration budget reports say that could be done by the private sector instead.

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