All eyes are focused on the White House as President Donald Trump attempts to make good on his campaign promises. In March, Trump released his preliminary 2018 budget proposal detailing several changes to the way the federal government spends money. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is one of many government departments being targeted. Early reports indicate the 2018 budget may shrink spending by 31 percent, reducing the EPA’s budget from $8.1 billion to $5.7 billion and eliminating a quarter of its 15,000 jobs.
One of the programs rumored to be on the chopping block is the EPA’s Energy Star program. The voluntary Energy Star program was created by the EPA in 1992 to identify and promote energy-efficient products to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Initially focusing on computers, the program expanded in 1995 to include residential heating and cooling equipment.