New Hampshire Attorney General Kelly A. Ayotte announced that the U.S. Department of Energy has agreed to settle New Hampshire’s and other states’ claims that the agency violated a federal law that requires periodic strengthening of energy-saving standards for consumer and commercial appliances.

New Hampshire and thirteen other states joined with New York City and several consumer and environmental groups in suing the federal agency in September 2005. The lawsuit alleged that the agency failed to meet deadlines set by Congress for adopting and updating energy efficiency standards for manufacturers of consumer and commercial appliances. Under the negotiated settlement, the agency has agreed to a binding schedule to publish final energy efficiency rules for appliances that use large amounts of energy, including air conditioners, water heaters, clothes dryers, dishwashers and ovens. The settlement was approved by a federal court in New York earlier this week.

Attorney General Ayotte commented: “This settlement is an important victory for this State’s consumers and environment. It requires the federal government to act faster than it ever has before in requiring manufacturers to make more than twenty common appliances more energy efficient. This will help to reduce consumers’ energy bills and air pollution from power plants, while increasing our energy security.”

For further information, please see the Department of Justice website at www.doj.nh.gov or contact Maureen D. Smith, Senior Assistant Attorney General, at (603) 271-3679.

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