U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC) on June 15 introduced a bill, the Protecting America’s Distribution Transformer Supply Chain Act, which would prohibit the Department of Energy from moving forward on its notice of proposed rulemaking to increase conservation standards on distribution transformers over the next five years.
In related news, the House Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Energy and Water on June 15 approved the Fiscal Year 2024 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Bill. The bill includes identical language to Hudson’s bill that would prohibit DOE from using funds to move forward on its distribution transformer efficiency NOPR.
On December 28, 2022, DOE announced it was proposing new energy efficiency standards for distribution transformers to improve the resiliency of the grid.
For over a year, the electric sector has been informing DOE about the severity of the supply chain challenges that have prolonged and complicated distribution transformer production and availability.
Earlier this month, 47 U.S. senators sent a letter to Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm saying that DOE should reconsider its proposed rule to increase conservation standards for distribution transformers.
In April, more than 60 House members urged Granholm to withdraw the proposed rule.
In February APPA, the Edison Electric Institute, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and other impacted trade groups, sent a letter strongly urging DOE to reconsider its intention to increase energy conservation standards for distribution transformers.
