The Bush administration’s DOE proposal follows a 60-day review of a rule proposed by the outgoing Clinton administration, which set a 13-SEER standard as the minimum.
That 13-SEER standard was strongly opposed by manufacturers represented by the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI), which last month filed a petition in federal court saying the findings and conclusions were “arbitrary, capricious, contrary to statute, and otherwise not in accordance with the law.” ARI also petitioned DOE late in March for reconsideration.