The House Energy and Commerce Sub-Committee held a discussion hearing today on possible legislation that could lead to major changes to the Energy Star program. The bill’s biggest proposal would transfer the program’s leadership from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to the Department of Energy (DOE). “This hearing today is a starting point for reforming […]

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced this week that it completed 127 federal enforcement actions during the past year related to lead paint, mostly targeting  contractors, landlords and property managers. Most of them were for violations of the controversial Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Rule, which many in the door and window industry say […]

On Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that locks in reforms to so-called “sue and settle” procedures for government regulations, which are often used bypass the normal regulatory process. The bill was strongly supported by the Window and Door Manufacturers Association (WDMA). The Sunshine for Regulations and Regulatory Decrees and Settlements Act […]

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt issued a directive on Tuesday that will end “sue and settle” practices, which the agency says will provide “an unprecedented level of public participation and transparency in EPA consent decrees and settlement agreements.” “The days of regulation through litigation are over,” Pruitt said. “We will no longer go […]

A couple of months ago, I highlighted a phrase that Reason writer Katherine Mangu-Ward used to describe the annual presidential budget requests: “They’re essentially the White House asking Congress for a pony.” It’s a good line, and this year, it’s looking more and more to be true. In March, President Trump rolled out a budget […]

The House Appropriations Committee’s spending bill for 2018, which came out last week, keeps the popular Energy Star program but drastically reduces its funding, according to a report on the committee’s proposal that was released on Monday. The 2018 spending bill would fund Energy Star at $31 million. That’s 53 percent less than 2017’s funding […]

The federal government’s budgeting process for 2018 continued this week as congressional committees worked on appropriations bills that will be voted on this fall. As expected, many of President Trump’s budget requests did not make the cut, including the steep 31-percent reduction in funding for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The House Appropriations Committee bill […]

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt announced on Tuesday that he wants to roll back the Obama-era “Waters of the United States” or WOTUS rule that critics say adds a layer of burdensome regulations that drive up the cost of construction. Granger MacDonald, chair of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a […]

Earlier this week, my blog partner Ric Jackson urged everyone to listen to a recent hearing of the U.S. House of Representatives’ Appropriations Committee. In that session, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator Scott Pruitt faced some tough comments and questions about President Trump’s 2018 budget proposal for the agency, which reduces its funding by a […]

Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee heard testimony from EPA administrator, Scott Pruitt, among other stakeholders on the FY2018 budget proposal that would cut funding for the agency by 30 percent and cut approximately 3,800 federal jobs. So many important issues were discussed, including how the proposed cuts will impact protecting waterways […]