ENERGY STAR® budget to include user fees

The President’s Budget for Fiscal Year 2021 was released in February. It proposes cuts in EPA spending and that some of the cuts should be offset by “user fees.” The Energy Star program is one of the areas impacted, with a requirement to collect $46 million in user fees to maintain the program. The President’s Budget is a proposal to Congress; in past years Congress has funded EPA at levels significantly higher than the levels set forth in the President’s Budget.