It’s time to talk about ENERGY STAR—and the Trump Administration’s completely nonsensical — or is it? — desire to eliminate it.

For over 30 years, this popular program has made it easy for consumers and businesses to make upgrades that save them energy and money. The Environmental Protection Agency initially introduced it as a non-regulatory means of reducing pollution. The agency figured that if they identified energy—and cost-saving appliances and technologies, businesses and consumers could decide whether or not to adopt them.

And despite being completely voluntary, it didn’t take long for ENERGY STAR to take off.

Now, an estimated 90% of Americans recognize the iconic logo, 45% of households intentionally seek out ENERGY STAR products when shopping, and utilities, states, and cities integrate these appliances into their energy efficiency programs. ENERGY STAR’s robust building certification program has also taken off across the country, and its helpful tools and resources—like the building portfolio manager tool—continue to be widely used.

To date, the program has saved Americans over $500 billion in energy bills, avoided over 4 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, and now supports roughly 35% of all energy efficiency jobs in the United States.

We get all of these benefits and more for a mere $32 million a year—less than 1% of the EPA’s budget and a mere 0.0005% of the $6.7 trillion federal budget.

To quote the EPA Administrator who helped launch the program, “Results like that ought to make a DOGE bro swoon.” But does it? Noooo.

So why get rid of it?

We already know that the Trump Administration isn’t really driven by a desire to reduce waste, improve efficiency, or lower the American people’s bills. So, let’s consider the situation from another perspective.

Who stands to gain the most if ENERGY STAR goes away?

Eliminating the ENERGY STAR program means less reliable information about products’ energy usage and fewer rebates for energy-efficient appliances. Consumers will be pushed toward cheaper, less-efficient options, resulting in higher energy demand. And all of this gives the Trump Administration a golden opportunity to push for investment in their favorite energy sources: oil, gas, and coal.

There’s your answer.

And it’s not just ENERGY STAR. When you consider every environmental rollback or deregulatory push so far—harmful, nonsensical moves that will hurt our pocketbooks, impact our health, and destroy our economy—every single one comes back to the Trump Administration’s total allegiance to the fossil fuel industry.

As we fight for the ENERGY STAR program this week, it’s not just about advocating for the most successful public-private partnership in history. It’s about recognizing this pattern and pushing back on it in every way possible.

Let’s get to work!