Ceiling Fan Energy Conservation Harmonization Act

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 2030, the Ceiling Fan Energy Conservation Harmonization Act.

Mr. Speaker, I agree with the chairman on this issue. It is bipartisan, and we are going to go ahead and do this law right.

Now, S. 2030 is essentially identical to H.R. 3477, legislation introduced by my colleagues on the Energy and Commerce Committee, Mr. Hudson and Mr. Butterfield. The purpose of the legislation is to align the current 2019 compliance deadline for ceiling fan light kit standards with a separate standard for ceiling fans set for 2020.

S. 2030 essentially extends the compliance deadline for the rule amending the standards for ceiling fan light kits by just over 1 year to January 21, 2020, so they can both occur at the same time.

The Energy Policy and Conservation Act, as amended by the Energy Policy Act of 2005, required the Department of Energy to put in place efficiency standards for ceiling light kits. The DOE has determined that increasing efficiency standards for ceiling fan light kits would conserve energy more, while being economically feasible. The DOE finally put forth the standard that, as stated previously, would take effect in January of next year. However, because the DOE did not meet the statutory deadline for promulgating a ceiling fan lighting kit standard, certain backstop requirements have been triggered that would be vitiated by the new regulations.

Some have raised questions as to whether the enactment of this legislation would result in an extension of portions of these backstop requirements. I think it is important for manufacturers that we respond to this question, and it is my intent, later on in this debate, to enter into a colloquy with the chairman in order to provide direction to the DOE and make clear Congress' intent with regard to this matter.

New standards for these kits will save money and reduce carbon emissions, and I believe the sooner they are in place, the better for consumers and for our environment.

Having said that, the bill is not opposed by any environmental, community, or consumer groups. Perhaps this is because it is sensible legislation that will greatly help retailers by eliminating unnecessary burdens for sellers of the products, while only minimally delaying new standards.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to have a brief colloquy with Mr. Upton, the chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy.

As I understand the purpose of S. 2030, it is to delay the January 7, 2019, compliance deadline for the latest ceiling fan light kit efficiency standard so as to align it with the January 21, 2020, compliance deadline for ceiling fans overall. Thus the efficiency standards for ceiling fans and for ceiling fan lights will go into force at the same time on January 21, 2020. Is that correct?

I yield to the gentleman from Michigan.

Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, I further understand that, pursuant to current law, because the DOE has not yet promulgated a ceiling fan light kit standard, there are backstop standards that have taken effect. As a part of this backstop, no ceiling fan light kit can be offered for sale in interstate commerce whose lamps use more than 180 watts of electricity.

To ensure this result, ceiling fan light kits are required to include a device that limits lamp efficiency consumption to 190 watts or less. Am I correct in that understanding?

Mr. Speaker, again reclaiming my time. I thank the chairman and acknowledge that correction.

I understand that, in preparation for ceiling fan light kit standards going into effect in January 2019, many manufacturers have already switched production and produced kits without the device that limits total lamp consumption to 190 watts or less.

Lighting manufacturers have informed me that the limiting device has been a major source of product failure and that, due to the vast gains in lightbulb technology and a huge drop in the price of highly efficient bulbs, it is no longer necessary to have such a device to keep consumption low.

Unfortunately, because the limiter requirement is tied by statute to the date of enactment of the new standard, technically this bill that is designed to ease regulatory burdens may inadvertently extend for an additional year the 190-watt limiter requirement. I do not believe this is the intent of this body or our colleagues on the other side of the Capitol, in other words, the Senate.

Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, I thank the chairman for confirming that the provisions

of S. 2030 are not intended to delay the change to the 190-watt limiter requirement.

Mr. Speaker, I believe ceiling fan lighting kit manufacturers have acted in good faith in the run-up to the change in the standard and that they should not be penalized for producing light kits without the 190-watt limiting device.

In my view, DOE should take whatever steps are necessary to revise its rules to allow these otherwise compliant kits to be sold and should take no enforcement actions against manufacturers solely because a kit fails to include the 190-watt limiting device.

That doesn't mean the Department should stop all enforcement to ensure compliance with standards for these kits, but it should specifically forgo action against companies for failing to include a limiting device.

Mr. Speaker, I ask if the chairman shares my view.

Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, I want to thank the chairman for his indulgence in this important clarification of legislative intent.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I again want to thank the chairman and commend my colleagues in both Chambers, specifically Mr. Hudson and Mr. Butterfield, for working on this bill. The legislation enjoys support from both sides of the aisle on this committee; and, in fact, the House version of the bill, H.R. 3477, passed both the Energy Subcommittee and the full Energy and Commerce Committee by a voice vote with almost no debate. Similarly, the Senate companion, which is before us now, passed that body by unanimous consent. I hope that we can do the same today and swiftly send this to the President's desk for his signature.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the passage of S. 2030.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 2030) to deem the compliance date for amended energy conservation standards for ceiling fan light kits to be January 21, 2020, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5

legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material in the Record on the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, energy efficiency can provide benefits for consumers, for job-creating businesses, for energy security, and for the environment, but we have got to make sure that it is done right; and that is why I support S. 2030, Ceiling Fan Energy Conservation Harmonization Act, which was sponsored by my good friend from North Carolina, Richard Hudson, and certainly has strong bipartisan cosponsorship, including Mr. Carter, Mr. Rush, Mr. Peters, and Mr. Butterfield.

Mr. Speaker, I would urge all of my colleagues to support this bill.

As most of you know, ceiling fans often come with lights attached, thus, they serve two purposes for consumers. The Department of Energy regulates the energy efficiency of both the ceiling fans and the ceiling fan lights, and stringent new standards are scheduled to take effect in the next 2 years; but for some reason, DOE set the deadline for the ceiling fan light kits in 2019, while the ceiling fan standard deadline is in 2020.

This bill, S. 2030, would take the logical step of aligning the compliance deadlines for ceiling fans and ceiling fan light kits so that they both occur in 2020. This should ease the compliance burden for some manufacturers, make things easier for retailers, and may help lower the costs, in fact, for all consumers.

Although ceiling fan regulations may not be a front-burner issue, we ought to make sure that we take every opportunity to streamline Federal regs and help keep compliance costs down. That is why I would urge all of my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this, what I would consider, noncontroversial bill.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. Speaker, the gentleman is correct. That is correct. That is the purpose.

Mr. Speaker, the gentleman is correct. I would note that in the gentleman's earlier statement, he said: ``whose lamps use more than 180 watts of electricity,'' but, in fact, it is 190 watts or less, but the gentleman, again, is correct.

Mr. Speaker, the gentleman is correct.

I, too, have heard from lighting manufacturers, and I sympathize with the concerns asserted by them regarding potential unintended consequences.

The intent of this bill, and, for that matter, my intent, is to keep the compliance deadline for changes to the 190-watt limiter requirement at January 7, 2019.

We now know that the limiter requirement adds to the cost to consumers, it can compromise ceiling fan reliability, and is no longer needed to meet efficiency standards. The final rule that included the ceiling fan light kit standards also provided that the 190-watt limiter requirement is deemed to be met by any product that complies with the new efficiency standards.

The bottom line is that the 190-watt limiter should no longer be required beginning on January 7, 2019. This bill, S. 2030, seeks to delay the ceiling fan light kit compliance deadline only, but not to delay the change to the 190-watt limiter requirement.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Yes, I do share that view. This bill directs the Secretary of Energy to make technical and conforming changes to any implementing regulation so as to carry out the provisions in this bill.

In carrying out this requirement, DOE should make clear to the regulated community that the specific inclusion of a watt-limiting device is no longer needed for a kit to be deemed to meet the 190-watt- or-less consumption requirement.

I further want to associate myself with the gentleman's comments regarding enforcement. The Secretary should take whatever steps are necessary to ensure that no enforcement action is taken against any manufacturer solely because a kit fails to include the 190-watt limiting device.

To the extent he can, the Secretary should make clear in a public manner that DOE will not enforce against these manufacturers with regard to this particular matter so that no producer holds back their product for the market out of fear of violation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be discharged from further consideration of S. 2030 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.