EPS Service Parts Act of 2014
Floor Speech
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Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.
I rise in support of H.R. 5057, the External Power Supply Service Parts Act of 2014.
I thank my colleague Representative Gardner and Chairman Upton and Ranking Member Waxman for their cooperation and support in bringing this measure to the floor.
External power supplies have become regular fixtures in homes and workplaces around the world as we have expanded our use of rechargeable batteries to power the many electronic products we use every day. Because these products are so common, lowering their power consumption translates into substantial energy savings for consumers and savings for businesses.
Earlier this year, the Department of Energy finalized a rule to strengthen the energy efficiency standards for these products. I support that rule.
H.R. 5057 is not intended to undermine the new standard. H.R. 5057 simply creates a short-term targeted exemption to enable a smooth and orderly transition to the new standard for both manufacturers and for the current owners of equipment purchased prior to the adoption of the new standard.
This narrow exemption enables manufacturers to continue to provide service and replacement parts for existing equipment. It allows owners of equipment to keep it functioning for the full intended life of that given product.
The bill ensures the exemption included in this legislation will not result in a significant delay in reaching the new energy efficiency targets for EPS equipment.
The bill provides DOE with the authority to establish a reporting requirement to track the number of parts that are shipped and of those that do not meet the efficiency standard.
If the Department finds that this exemption is undermining the energy savings that are projected under the new efficiency regulations, the Secretary can issue a rule to limit or rescind the exemption.
H.R. 5057 strikes an appropriate balance, I believe, that keeps us moving forward on efficiency goals for external power supplies while providing manufacturers and owners of current products the assurance that service and spare parts will be available.
Again, I want to thank my colleague, Representative Gardner, for working with me and working with our colleagues on this bill.
I urge all Members to support the legislation, and with that, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
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