DOE's Notice of Noncompliance requires the manufacturer to respond within 15 days of its March 25 issuance, detailing steps the company will take to remove the two failed models from U.S. commerce. AeroSys must also provide written notification of violations to all businesses that sold the products. If the company fails to respond, DOE will seek a judicial order to prevent the sale of the appliances. This is the first time DOE has told a company to halt the distribution of products that failed to meet minimum energy efficiency standards. See the DOE press release, and the full Notice of Noncompliance (PDF 158 KB).
DOE also recently launched investigations into lighting, air conditioning, and heat pump products that may have failed to meet federal energy efficiency standards. These probes are part of the ongoing efforts at DOE and across the Obama Administration to strengthen and enforce federal energy efficiency standards.
In one investigation, DOE is seeking to determine whether certain air conditioners and heat pump products manufactured by Air Con International comply with federal energy efficiency standards. A subpoena issued on March 24 requires Air Con to submit detailed information about the energy consumption of its products and how Air Con marketed and sold them in the US. See the DOE press release.
In another investigation, DOE issued subpoenas to three companies that were identified as selling certain torchiere lamps that did not meet federal energy efficiency standards. Target Corporation, Adesso, Inc. and Habitex Corporation must submit detailed information about the design of these products and how the companies marketed and sold them in the US. Target and Adesso privately label torchieres manufactured by Habitex. The companies have 30 days to respond to the subpoena, and based on the information they provide, DOE will determine whether these products violate the energy conservation standards for torchiere lamps. Under DOE's energy efficiency standards, torchieres must not be capable of operating with light bulbs that total more than 190 watts. See the DOE press release.
Insurance Commissioners Back Off on Climate Change Disclosures
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) has backed away from a mandatory requirement for insurance companies to disclose to regulators the financial risks they face from climate change.
Under the requirement passed in 2009, all insurance companies with annual premiums of $500 million or more would have been required to complete an Insurer Climate Risk Disclosure Survey every year, with an initial reporting deadline of May 1, 2010. The scope of issues covered by the survey was meant to be broad, reflecting the many ways in which climate change will impact the insurance industry. However, at the NAIC's spring meeting, the commissioners adopted a new, watered-down version of the survey.
The new survey adds qualifications that it is not meant to "express an opinion on the existence or absence of climate change," and it also prohibits the use of the survey for any purpose relating to regulatory consideration of a proposed rate change. Completion of the survey is now at the discretion of each state, but the suggested guideline is for the survey to be mandatory for insurance companies with annual premiums of $300 million or more. See the NAIC press releases on the original mandate and the revised survey, as well as the full text of the revised survey (PDF 187 KB).
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EREE Network News is a weekly publication of the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).
