Current Deadline of May 31 Too Early for Compliance
Builders and many other manufactured housing professionals have understood for some time that “something needs to give” in regard to the U.S. Department of Energy’s pending standards for new manufactured homes. On March 23, just weeks after the Manufactured Housing Institute and the Texas Manufactured Housing Association filed suit against the DOE, the department published to the Federal Register a request for input on a delay of compliance largely to give time for clarity on “noncompliance and enforcement”.
MHI sent a message to members encouraging them to contact the Energy Department on the matter.
“It is critical that DOE extends the compliance date for the manufactured housing energy efficiency standards until after the Department’s future enforcement procedures are created and take effect,” the message said.
The Energy Department seems to agree.
DOE has yet to issue procedures for reviewing and enforcing against noncompliance with the manufactured housing energy conservation standards, the register reads.
“A delay of the current May 31, 2023, compliance date is therefore necessary to ensure that DOE can receive and incorporate meaningful stakeholder feedback into its enforcement procedures prior to the Rule’s compliance date,” it states.
DOE stated it would expect compliance with provisions 60 and 180 days after the publication of its final enforcement procedures for Tier 1 and Tier 2 homes, respectively.
Delaying the compliance date until after the enforcement procedures are effective will provide manufacturers time to understand DOE’s enforcement procedures and prepare their operations to ensure compliance with DOE’s standards.
“…these benefits may not be fully realized if manufacturers lack clarity on how best to comply with DOE’s standards or what to expect from DOE’s enforcement of such standards,” the DOE stated.
On April 3, Sen. Tim Scott, (R), S.C., Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, sent a letter to U.S. Department of Energy Sec. Jennifer Granholm urging her to immediately delay the new standards.
“I am concerned the DOE standards will unnecessarily limit consumer choices and raise costs for families seeking affordable homeownership opportunities,” Scott stated in his letter. “The DOE Standards are overly broad, unduly burdensome, and undermine commonsense efforts to increase supply and assist families looking for affordable housing opportunities.”
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