States Sue U.S. over Energy Efficiency of Appliances

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http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=8738

NEW YORK — Fifteen states led by New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer sued the U.S. Energy Department on Wednesday for dragging its feet on setting efficiency standards for household appliances that would save enormous amounts of energy.

The states and the city of New York said the DOE violated Congressional mandates to adopt stronger energy-saving standards within deadlines stated by law for 22 appliances.

The suit was filed in Manhattan Federal Court after the DOE declined to respond to a July 1 notice letter asking it to take action, Spitzer said at a press conference.

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Spitzer and Peter Lehner, head of the attorney general's environmental bureau, said that updating efficiency standards for appliances such as refrigerators, air conditioners and ovens could reduce U.S. electricity use by the equivalent of 3 percent to 12 percent over 25 years, based on 2002 usage, and the equivalent of the power generated by 13 to 42 power plants.

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