US Department of Energy to set up energy efficiency enforcement team

clipped from www.energyefficiencynews.com The US Department of Energy (DOE) is to set up an energy enforcement team to strengthen its power to ensure manufacturers meet energy efficiency standards. The team of lawyers with litigation and regulatory experience will be reviewing certification reports for consumer products covered by energy efficiency standards and randomly checking records. Manufacturers that have failed to certify products properly according to the DOE’s rules, or cannot provide records, could be subject to civil action and penalties under the 1975 Energy Policy Conservation Act and Departmental regulations. “It’s critical that we enforce our energy efficiency regulations,” says Scott Blake Harris, General Counsel of the DOE. “Strong enforcement of the rules will encourage compliance and keep manufacturers who break the law from having a competitive advantage over manufacturers who play by the rules.”