New York v. Bodman (S.D.N.Y 2005)

Multi-state lawsuit challenging the Department of Energy (DOE)’s failure to create energy efficiency standards for consumer appliances according to the timeline established by the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (ECPA).

Citation: New York v. Bodman, No. 05 Civ. 7807, (S.D.N.Y. Sep. 07, 2005)

Topic: Energy

Type of Action: Lawsuit v. Federal Government

States involved: California, Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin

Summary: Multiple states joined in lawsuit challenging DOE failure to create energy efficiency standards for consumer appliances. Petitioners pointed to the statutory mandate contained in the EPCA and the absence of efficiency standards for 22 product categories. In 2007, the parties agreed to a consent decree which set out a schedule for the enactment and revision of the energy efficiency standards.

Several of the states involved in this action also participated in a subsequent action to compel DOE to update energy efficiency standards for energy-intensive consumer products.

Key Documents:

• Petition
• Consent Decree
• DOE Press Release