2. Codes and Standards Program ----- Detail
The United States has had energy efficiency building codes and equipment/appliance standards since the mid-1970s. Appliance standards are implemented by the federal government and prohibit the sale or import of covered items that do not meet required efficiency levels. Energy standards for buildings are initially developed on a voluntary, consensus basis by professional organizations. These standards are now written in code-enforceable language to facilitate their adoption as legal codes by states or localities.

3. ENERGY STAR Programs ----- Detail
ENERGY STAR is a U.S. Government program designed to remove market barriers to the purchase of energy efficient products and services in residential, commercial, and industrial markets. The program is administered jointly by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The programs address three market barriers that have resulted in under-investment in energy efficiency: (1) lack of objective information; (2) definition of efficiency and comparability of competing products; (3) and higher purchase prices for many efficient products.

4. Low Income Weatherization Assistance Program ----- Detail
This program, begun at the federal level in 1977, increases energy efficiency and reduces energy costs for low-income Americans, while ensuring their health and safety. This program's base funding comes from annual federal appropriations, provided to the states as grants. The states, in turn, award grants to local agencies, usually community action agencies or other non-profit or government organizations to perform actual weatherization services.

5. WASTEWI$E ----- Detail
Begun in January 1994, the U.S. EPA's WasteWi$e program has worked with American businesses; Federal, state, local, and tribal governments; and other institutions to reduce municipal solid waste. Presently, more than 900 organizations are WasteWi$e partners. Through the WasteWi$e program, partners voluntarily set goals in three areas: waste prevention, recycling, and buying/manufacturing recycled products. Partners track their progress during a 3-year period and report annually on their accomplishments.

6. Emissions Cap and Trade Program ----- Detail
The United States has successfully used a "cap-and-trade" emissions trading program as a tool to reduce sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions. This program has met the stated environmental goal at substantially lower compliance costs than other approaches. Ten northeastern States are now using a similar emissions trading approach to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx). The sulfur emissions trading program provides emitters maximum flexibility over both time and space, it yields both health and ecological benefits, it is highly cost-effective, it encourages technological innovation, and has strong accountability and enforcement elements.

7. Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) ----- Detail
The Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) began in 1975 and has a substantial track record of reducing energy use and associated carbon emissions in the U.S. Federal Government. Executive Order 13123, signed in June 1999, added the first greenhouse gas reduction program goal of a 30% reduction from facilities from 1990 levels by 2010. This multi-faceted program addresses all federal energy uses from buildings to vehicles to generating plants.

8. Federally Leveraged State and Local Action ----- Detail
In some cases, federal agencies are well-positioned to coordinate certain technical assistance and education/outreach programs with states and localities. These programs allow for adaptation to local circumstances and access to local expertise and markets. Variation in state and local implementation practices also help improve overall program performance through experimentation and learning by example.

9. Infrastructure for Information on Energy Markets and Policy ----- Detail
The United States has developed an extensive information infrastructure to systematically collect, publish, and analyze data on energy production, consumption and usage practices in U.S. energy supply and end-use sectors. This includes a national statistic-based sampling data system, as well as data collected for direct use by individual policy programs. Having a strong infrastructure for information on energy markets and policy data is recognized as a foundation for policy formulation, implementation, and evolution.

10. State, Local, and Community Initiatives ----- Detail
Many state and local governments and private sector organizations are taking their own actions that reduce emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) - and at the same time creating jobs and strengthening economic development, saving energy and money, and improving local air and environmental quality. These initiatives may be explicitly included in a state or local climate change initiative, or may be more general efforts that have the co-benefit of reducing GHG emissions. A number of these efforts may receive some federal funding.

11. Climate Challenge and Climate Wise ----- Detail
Climate Wise and Climate Challenge are two models of comprehensive U.S. programs that encourage and recognize industrial and utility companies and businesses that undertake energy efficiency improvements and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Working with industry (Climate Wise) and utilities (Climate Challenge), these programs encourage companies to develop comprehensive action plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

12. Electricity Restructiring ----- Detail
Electricity restructuring would allow competition to replace regulation as the primary mechanism to determine the price of electricity at the generation plant. The Administration has proposed legislation at the Federal level, the Comprehensive Electricity Competition Act (CECA), to facilitate retail competition. States have historically been responsible for regulating retail electricity markets in the U.S. The CECA is designed to strike a balance between the need for federal policy to support competition and the tradition of state determination of retail electricity policy.

13. High Global Warming Potential (GWP) Gas Reduction ----- Detail
The U.S. is implementing two types of programs to reduce PFCs, SF6 and HFCs emissions: regulatory and voluntary. Regulatory activities are carried out under Title VI of the Clean Air Act. Voluntary activities are such as the Voluntary Aluminum Industrial Partnership (VAIP), the PFC Emission Reduction Partnership for the Semiconductor Industry, the SF6 Emission Reduction Partnership for the Electric Power Systems, the SF6 Emission Reduction Partnership for the Magnesium Industry. HCFC-22 manufacturers in the U.S. also voluntarily committed to reduce HFC-23.

14. Industrial Assessment Center Program ----- Detail
DOE's Industrial Assessment Center, or IAC, Program was initiated in 1976 as an energy audit program to improve the energy efficiency of small and medium-sized manufacturing plants in their respective localities. Now this program is working with a total systems (energy, waste and productivity efficiency) focus. The program has two major objectives: 1) to sponsor and promote industrial assessments of small and medium-sized manufacturing plants, and 2) to provide engineering students with hands on industrial experience in energy, waste and productivity efficiency.

15. Industries of the Future ----- Detail
The Industries of the Future (IOF) strategy creates partnerships between industry, government, and supporting laboratories and institutions to accelerate technology research, development, and deployment. Led by DOE, the IOF strategy is being implemented in nine energy- and waste- intensive industries in the U.S.: agriculture (bio-based feedstocks), aluminum, chemicals, forest products, glass, metalcasting, mining, petroleum, and steel.

16. Methane Programs ----- Detail
The methane programs are a set of U.S. Government programs designed to remove market barriers and encourage the profitable recovery of methane gas currently emitted to the atmosphere. Four major sectors are targeted by the U.S. methane programs: landfills, coal mines, natural gas systems, and agriculture. In each sector, unique programs that address the specific barriers have been implemented in order to encourage the widespread deployment of profitable methane recovery and use technologies.

17. Motor Challenge ----- Detail
The Motor Challenge program was created in 1993 as an industry/government partnership designed to help industry tap into the more than 100 billion kilowatt-hours per year of potential electricity savings. The program emphasizes the development and promotion of the latest energy efficiency best practices in motor systems, which include improved efficiency of the motor as well as optimized system performance.

18. Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles (PNGV) ----- Detail
In 1993, the United States Government and the Chief Executive Officers of the three major domestic automakers announced the Partnership for A New Generation of Vehicles (PNGV). PNGV is a cooperative research effort to develop automobiles with very low emissions, safe, attractive performance, and affordable prices that get up to three times the fuel efficiency of conventional vehicles sold today.

19. Voluntary Reporting of GHG Program ----- Detail
The Voluntary Reporting of Greenhouse Gases Program is part of an attempt by the U.S. Government to develop innovative, low-cost, and non-regulatory approaches to limit emissions of greenhouse gases. This program established a mechanism by which corporations, government agencies, individuals, trade associations, organizations, etc., can report to the Energy Information Administration (EIA) any actions taken that have or are expected to reduce /avoid emissions of greenhouse gases.