NEW YORK, NY — New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, California Attorney General Bill Lockyer, and Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, as well as the Natural Resources Defense Council and other national environmental and consumer groups, have filed lawsuits against the Bush administration over its decision to reduce the Clinton administration’s proposed 13-SEER air conditioner standard back to 12 SEER.
A 13-SEER standard would have made central air conditioning units 30% more efficient, while a 12-SEER standard provides a 20% efficiency increase.
“This is a time when the federal government should be doing everything possible to encourage the efficient use of energy,” Spitzer said. “Instead, the Bush administration has dramatically weakened one of the most effective ways to conserve energy. With this lawsuit, we are seeking to compel the administration to adopt a more forward-looking course that will help lower energy bills and reduce air pollution.”