The U.S. Congress passed a mandatory minimum of $33 million for Energy Star , a decades-old program that certifies the energy efficiency of products and buildings.
City of Bozeman Sustainability manager Natalie Meyer says the recent funding is good news for Bozeman, which uses Energy Star’s software to check in on the city’s energy efficiency. Bozeman is one of a handful of communities in Montana with plans to reduce emissions and reach carbon neutrality on a community-wide scale.
“It’s just again a really simple way to track and monitor the efficiency of buildings and help us meet our energy and climate goals” Meyer said.
Bozeman is one of a handful of communities in Montana with plans to reduce emissions and reach carbon neutrality on a community-wide scale.
Energy Star previously fell under the Environmental Protection Agency’s Atmospheric Protection Program, which President Donald Trump in his discretionary budget recommended cutting. In April, hundreds of organizations wrote a letter asking for funding to keep Energy Star going, which Congress has now granted. Montana’s congressional delegation was not available by deadline.
In addition to Energy Star, the U.S. Congress funded two other at-risk programs: the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program and the Weatherization Assistance Program, both of which help families navigate energy costs.
