Dem AGs, green groups sue Trump over paused energy efficiency rules

Eleven state attorneys general are joining environmentalists in suing the Department of Energy (DOE) over a handful of energy efficiency regulations that the Trump administration has stopped from taking effect.

The rules, covering appliances such as walk-in freezers and air compressors, were made final in December under the Obama administration.

But Trump officials never completed the administrative steps to let the rules get published in the Federal Register. The lack of action was part of the new administration’s pause and review on regulations across the government, and the opponents say that was illegal.

“These common sense energy efficiency standards are vital to our public health, our environment, and consumers’ pocketbooks. Yet the Trump administration’s policies put polluters before everyday Americans,” New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who is leading the lawsuit along with California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, said in a Tuesday statement.

Read more (The Hill)