Consumer and environmental groups say an Environmental Protection Agency plan to eliminate its Energy Star office will end a decades-long plan that will allow consumers to choose to buy eco-friendly refrigerators, dishwashers and other electronics and save money on electricity bills.

The changes outlined in the proxy documents reviewed by the Associated Press are part of the extensive restructuring of the EPA that will eliminate or reorganize an important part of the office, with a focus on air pollution. These plans have driven a drastic shift in President Trump, rather than previous administration concerns about climate change.

CNN first reported on Tuesday that the EPA did not directly confirm that the program was about to end the program, but said the restructuring “is providing organizational improvements to the personnel structure that will directly benefit the American people and better promote the agency’s core mission while providing power for a great American comeback.”

EPA launched Energy Star in 1992 to deal with environmental protection and economic growth. It promotes the market for energy-efficient products and interests of companies that design equipment that wins labels. The plan's website says that deciding to buy a home with energy star products can save $450 in energy costs per year.

"People realize it right away, so they're like, 'Oh, this is the energy star, so I probably should have chosen this one."

Steven Nadel, executive director of the U.S. Energy Conservation Economic Commission, said the plan had not received bipartisan support until recently. He said that when many products can meet label requirements, it promotes efficiency by tightening standards.

A huge savings of money and pollution

According to its website, the plan has cut energy costs by $500 billion since its inception and has blocked about 4 billion tons of warm greenhouse gas emissions from the planet. Electrical appliances can be responsible for a large amount of air pollution, but efficiency measures can reduce carbon dioxide, methane, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and fine particulate matter, thereby generating electricity into the atmosphere. These pollutants can damage the heart and lungs and cause other health problems.

Trump's proposed budget requires Congress to cancel the entire EPA's atmospheric protection plan, which has an office that operates Energy Star. The budget describes the plan as “an over-explanation of government authority, which imposes unnecessary and radical climate change regulations on businesses and stifles economic growth.”

But Sarah Gleeson, research manager for climate solutions for the Climate Action nonprofit program, said U.S. energy independence depends on the ability to meet U.S. energy needs and cut plans that both damage and harm families caused.

Gleason said the loss of Energy Star will make it harder for consumers to get trustworthy information about the energy use of the product.

Tags are voluntary, Congress ordered

Energy Star labels are voluntary nature of products that meet certain levels of efficiency, and unlike energy standards, these product standards set minimum efficiency requirements that must be met before they can be sold legally. In the 2000s, Congress directed the EPA and the Department of Energy to carry out energy conservation programs and promote Energy Star.

The doe did not comment on the changes and their role in progress, delaying the issue to the EPA. According to the program's website, the role of DOE includes developing a product testing procedure. EPA is responsible for setting performance levels and ensuring that consumers can rely on labels.

The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers said it supports the Energy Star program streamlined through DOE. "The government's goal of protecting a variety of products will be achieved, from which consumers can choose and reduce unnecessary regulatory burdens," spokeswoman Jill Notini said.

The move is the latest move in the Trump administration's broader relaxation efforts. They announced plans to cut Biden-era policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and prioritize fossil fuel and energy executive policies.

The president is particularly keen to eliminate efficiency standards, arguing that their products are more costly and less efficient, and denying consumer choices. Trump reversed the rules that restrict water flow in showers and other household appliances.

Trump targeted energy stars during his first term at the White House, but faced a rebound.

“For a government that keeps claiming that the country is facing an energy emergency, Trump continues to attack all efforts aimed at saving energy through efficiency,” Xavier Boatright, legislative director for clean energy and electrification at the Sierra Club, said in a statement. “When we waste energy through inefficient appliances, the fossil fuel industry uses it as an excuse to extract and sell more products to make more money on the back of the American people.”