42 U.S.C. § 6294a: Energy Star program

There is established within the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency a voluntary program to identify and promote energy-efficient products and buildings in order to reduce energy consumption, improve energy security, and reduce pollution through voluntary labeling of, or other forms of communication about, products and buildings that meet the highest energy conservation standards. Responsibilities under the program shall be divided between the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency in accordance with the terms of applicable agreements between those agencies. achieving energy efficiency; and reducing pollution; work to enhance public awareness of the Energy Star label, including by providing special outreach to small businesses; preserve the integrity of the Energy Star label; regularly update Energy Star product criteria for product categories; solicit comments from interested parties prior to establishing or revising an Energy Star product category, specification, or criterion (or prior to effective dates for any such product category, specification, or criterion); an explanation of the changes; and as appropriate, responses to comments submitted by interested parties; and provide appropriate lead time (which shall be 270 days, unless the Agency or Department specifies otherwise) prior to the applicable effective date for a new or a significant revision to a product category, specification, or criterion, taking into account the timing requirements of the manufacturing, product marketing, and distribution process for the specific product addressed. not later than January 1, 2006 , for clothes washers and dishwashers, effective beginning January 1, 2007 ; and not later than January 1, 2008 , for clothes washers, effective beginning July 1, 2009 .