[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 208 (Wednesday, December 9, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H7074-H7076]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  CEILING FAN IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2020

  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 5758) to amend the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to 
make technical corrections to the energy conservation standard for 
ceiling fans, and for other purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 5758

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Ceiling Fan Improvement Act 
     of 2020''.

     SEC. 2. MODIFICATIONS TO THE CEILING FAN ENERGY CONSERVATION 
                   STANDARD.

       (a) In General.--Section 325(ff)(6) of the Energy Policy 
     and Conservation Act (42 U.S.C. 6295(ff)(6)) is amended by 
     adding at the end the following:
       ``(C)(i) Large-diameter ceiling fans manufactured on or 
     after January 21, 2020, shall--
       ``(I) not be required to meet minimum ceiling fan 
     efficiency in terms of ratio of the total airflow to the 
     total power consumption as described in the final rule titled 
     `Energy Conservation Program: Energy Conservation Standards 
     for Ceiling Fans' (82 Fed. Reg. 6826 (January 19, 2017)); and
       ``(II) have a CFEI greater than or equal to--
       ``(aa) 1.00 at high speed; and
       ``(bb) 1.31 at 40 percent speed or the nearest speed that 
     is not less than 40 percent speed.
       ``(ii) For purposes of this subparagraph, the term `CFEI' 
     means the Fan Energy Index for large-diameter ceiling fans, 
     calculated in accordance with ANSI/AMCA Standard 208-18 
     titled `Calculation of the Fan Energy Index', with the 
     following modifications:
       ``(I) Using an Airflow Constant (Q0) of 26,500 
     cubic feet per minute.
       ``(II) Using a Pressure Constant (P0) of 0.0027 
     inches water gauge.
       ``(III) Using a Fan Efficiency Constant (h0) of 
     42 percent.''.
       (b) Revision.--For purposes of section 325(m) of the Energy 
     Policy and Conservation Act (42 U.S.C. 6295(m)), the standard 
     established in section 325(ff)(6)(C) of such Act (as added by 
     subsection (a) of this section) shall be treated as if such 
     standard was issued on January 19, 2017.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
Jersey (Mr. Pallone) and the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Walden) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Jersey.


                             General Leave

  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on H.R. 5758.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New Jersey?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5758, the Ceiling Fan 
Improvement Act of 2020. This bipartisan bill was introduced by 
Representative Guthrie of Kentucky and Representative Schakowsky of 
Illinois, both senior members of the Energy and Commerce Committee.
  H.R. 5758 amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to provide a 
technical fix for large-diameter ceiling fan efficiency standards. The 
legislation adjusts compliance requirements related to total airflow 
and power consumptions for these fans. This technical fix provides the 
highest-airflow fans a path to compliance, while still requiring 
improvements to products that underperform. This is a commonsense 
change that will improve efficiency of large-diameter ceiling fans and 
ensure that all products will become efficient over time.
  Mr. Speaker, energy efficiency is a critical tool in our efforts to 
address climate change, while also saving consumers money on their 
electric bills. Residential and commercial buildings contribute nearly 
40 percent to our Nation's carbon pollution, and energy efficiency 
measures can reduce U.S. energy use and greenhouse gas emissions by 50 
percent by 2050.
  It is crucial that we support energy efficiency efforts across 
different sectors. I commend my colleagues for their bipartisan work on 
this important bill. Ms. Schakowsky, in particular, who chairs our 
subcommittee that deals with consumer protection is always looking to 
not only improve efficiency, but also consumer protections.

[[Page H7075]]

  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5758, the Ceiling Fan 
Improvement Act. This legislation was introduced by my colleagues on 
the Energy and Commerce Committee, Representatives Guthrie and 
Schakowsky, to make technical corrections to the Department of Energy's 
energy conservation standard for large-diameter ceiling fans. This 
legislation did go through regular order and it did pass the full 
committee on a voice vote.
  H.R. 5758 would amend the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to 
adjust compliance requirements, and that will resolve a discrepancy in 
the regulations that may have the unintended consequence of allowing 
some large-diameter fans with low airflows to meet the minimum 
standards. The Department of Energy confirmed the need for a statutory 
revision and submitted technical assistance to aid in the drafting of 
this legislation, which we are appreciative of.
  This is a good bipartisan bill, like the others before it today, and 
I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting it.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the 
gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky), who chairs our Subcommittee 
on Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection.
  Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I also thank Representative Guthrie, who 
cosponsored this legislation with me, and also Chairman Pallone and 
Chairman   Bobby Rush for their help in moving this bill forward.
  This is a bipartisan bill that provides an important fix to an energy 
conservation rule for ceiling fans that the Department of Energy 
finalized in January 2017.
  However, minor technical changes to the rule were needed in order to 
prevent a major unintended consequence. Without this bill, some of the 
most energy-efficient, large-diameter ceiling fans would have to be 
taken off the market in the United States. So we fixed that.
  The bill will also provide consistent labeling requirements for 
residential ceiling fans and simplify the ENERGY STAR program. Both of 
these changes will make it easier for Americans to choose the right 
products for their homes. Representative Guthrie and I worked together 
with ceiling fan manufacturers, the energy efficiency community, and 
other stakeholders to clarify the standard. The Department of Energy 
was consulted throughout the drafting process.
  What pleases me really the most about this legislation is that it 
highlights how we need legislation, big and small, to tackle the 
climate crisis.
  This bill also highlights how we can work together across the aisle 
to enact commonsense policies that directly impact energy usage in 
homes and save American families money on their energy bill at the same 
time.
  Mr. Speaker, I look forward to continuing to work together with my 
Republican colleagues in the next Congress.
  Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, it is a great privilege now to recognize the 
gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie), who is the top Republican on the 
Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee and has really done 
incredible work as we put together our package on Operation Warp Speed 
and the second wave issues involving COVID, which I recommend to my 
colleagues to take a look at. He is also a great legislator in working 
out bipartisan issues like this.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman 
from Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie).
  Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support today of my bill (H.R. 
5758), the Ceiling Fan Improvement Act.
  In January 2017, the Department of Energy finalized energy 
conservation standards for ceiling fans that, unfortunately, did not 
account for the different airflow dynamics of large ceiling fans.

  Under the current regulations, some of the most efficient large-
diameter fans would have to be taken off the market in the U.S.
  The Ceiling Fan Improvement Act is a bipartisan, commonsense bill 
that will ensure large-diameter fans are properly regulated. Technical 
innovation and new products will be key to improving energy efficiency 
and protecting our environment for generations to come, and the Ceiling 
Fan Improvement Act seeks to ensure that high-performing, large-
diameter ceiling fans can remain on the market and help achieve real 
energy savings.
  I thank Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky for working with me on this 
bill. I appreciate all the efforts she made to work with me and work 
together. I encourage my colleagues to support this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, while on the floor, I want to make some comments about 
some of our colleagues who are leaving.
  Mr. Speaker, first, we are hallway roommates in the Rayburn Office 
Building. I will miss seeing you. Congratulations on where you are 
going. You are retiring. It has been a pleasure. Your staff is 
fantastic. Every time I walk by and pop my head in and say hello to 
them, they are always very gracious. So we are going to miss you guys.
  Elected with me in 2008--Pete Olson was just recognized on the floor; 
farewell to him--when we first got elected to Congress, we were 
together in a new Member orientation. We were chatting with each other, 
and I think he said that he was born in Fort Lewis, Washington. We know 
he is Texas through and through, but he also had a sojourn in Alabama. 
We were talking, and I said: I was born in Alabama.
  And he said: Well, I used to live in Alabama.
  I said: I was born in Florence, Alabama.
  Some of you may know Muscle Shoals is where some of the world's 
greatest music is from. That is where I was from.
  He said: Well, I lived in Florence for a year.
  I said: I lived in the Forest Hills neighborhood.
  He said: I lived in the Forest Hills neighborhood. Did you ever know 
a Mr. McCugh?
  I said: He was the kind of dad who was involved in everybody's lives. 
Yes, he was my Little League coach.
  He said: He was my Little League coach.
  I looked at him, and I said: You are little Petey Olson?
  So Pete Olson and I come together to Congress in 2008 and found out 
we knew each other when we were kids. His dad worked for Champion, a 
big paper mill that went on to Houston.
  I would also like to say that the Houston Oilers now play 1 hour from 
my home in Nashville. So we are proud to have them. I hope he still 
cheers for them in Nashville.
  But what was interesting is we just said he is a year older, and I 
have never said this on the floor, but I would like to say this now: He 
is a year older than I, as his birthday is today. We had the same 
second grade teacher.
  He said: Did you have Mrs. LeCates?
  I said: I had Mrs. LeCates.
  The story about Mrs. LeCates is that from the time summer was out 
that Pete Olson left and before school commenced that I went into 
second grade with Mrs. LeCates, something momentous that summer 
happened in her life. Her son, Second Lieutenant Robert LeCates, was 
killed in Vietnam. It is really the only name I personally know on the 
wall when I go. You have heard of people and you have different names 
you know and you hear stories about, but he is the only person I had a 
personal connection to. So every time I go to the wall, I have told him 
that. I said: Every time I go to the wall, I look at Robert LeCates, 
and I look at his name.
  It reminds me to this day that there are people who sacrifice their 
lives for us to be here and for us to do what we are doing, and we need 
to conduct ourselves worthy of people who gave the ultimate sacrifice 
for that. So that was our story.
  But I just want to close with talking about our former chairman and 
ranking member,   Greg Walden, and wish him well in his retirement. He 
is outstanding to work with, just outstanding to work with. No matter 
what the subcommittee, he knew the policy, he knew what was going on, 
and he had his handle on it. But he also let us go out and do our work 
and then bring issues to him and move forward with him as well, 
particularly on the SUPPORT Act. That is the opioid epidemic

[[Page H7076]]

bill, trying to address that. It has been a plague on my State like it 
has been on so many others.
  He really gave people freedom to bring the best ideas and put all the 
best ideas together with both sides. He could always compromise without 
compromising his values and his principles. He said: If there is a way 
for both sides to win, let's find a way for both sides to win.
  Mr. Speaker, I know the gentleman has yielded me as much time as I 
may consume. If I consumed everything to say what is good about you and 
the value you are to this institution, I would be here all afternoon 
because you have really made an impact on this institution. You have 
made an impact upon our conference.
  I think people on both sides of the aisle have said your service here 
has made a difference, not for Congress, but through your service in 
Congress and for the country, and I thank you for that. We are going to 
miss you, and I wish you Godspeed as you move forward.

                              {time}  1400

  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers on this side, 
and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself a minute or so here to thank 
my friend, the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie) who, as you all 
know, is a terrific legislator, a bright mind. And he, too, has served 
his country with distinction in uniform and here in the Congress, and 
he will have a great future going forward in this institution.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman 
from Georgia (Mr. Carter).
  Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for 
yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5758, the Ceiling Fan 
Improvement Act. This legislation will update the energy efficiency 
standards for ceiling fans manufactured after January 21 of this year.
  We are here today because the existing energy and efficiency 
standards for ceiling fans was insufficient to meet the characteristics 
of ceiling fans being manufactured.
  Specifically, the energy conservation standards finalized in January 
2017 didn't properly account for the different types of air flow of 
large ceiling fans. Therefore, the result of not changing this law 
could be the removal of large ceiling fans from the market because they 
won't be in compliance.
  This issue is a great example of how now nuanced and challenging some 
of these issues and topics can be here in Congress. Thanks to the 
leadership of my good friend, Congressman Guthrie, and that of 
Chairwoman Schakowsky, we are now one step closer to getting this fix 
across the finish line.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues on the Committee on Energy and 
Commerce for their work on this legislation and for the bipartisan 
efforts to get it here, and I urge all of my colleagues to support this 
legislation.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I have no other speakers on my side of the 
aisle. It is good legislation, bipartisan. It should become law. I urge 
its passage, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I would urge support for this legislation, 
and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 5758.
  The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that 
the ayes appeared to have it.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to section 3 of House Resolution 
965, the yeas and nays are ordered.
  Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further proceedings on this question 
are postponed.

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