Obama Signs Security Industry Priority into Law

US President Obama signed into law legislation that will provide electronic security companies relief from an onerous and misguided energy efficiency requirement. The Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007 requires electronic devices to meet certain efficiency standards while in "no-load" mode. The law was written in such a way that the requirements apply even to security and life safety devices - such as video surveillance, intrusion detection and access control systems - even though such equipment must always be in "active" mode. To correct this, the US Security Industry Association (SIA) pulled together a coalition that contains both industry and environmental groups - including the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) - to draft legislative language and push for a correction.

Obama signed into law H.R. 5470 from Rep. Frank Pallone, and Rep. Roy Blunt, which provides an exemption from the "no-load" requirements for security and life safety products while retaining EISA's "active" mode efficiency standards for those devices. The House passed the bill on Dec. 8 2010, and the Senate passed it on Dec. 21 2010. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman,  led the effort in the Senate to enact the measure.

"This is a very important fix for the security industry," SIA Director of Government Relations Don Erickson said. "It's a common sense measure that is good for both business and the environment, as is demonstrated by our coalition partners. We thank President Obama for signing the bill and Senator Bingaman, Congressman Pallone and Congressman Blunt for working so hard to get the legislation to the president's desk."

Erickson added that he was proud of the active involvement of SIA members in the process and of the leadership role that the association took in developing consensus on the issue among groups with such diverse interests. In addition to SIA and the NRDC, the bill was supported by the Alliance to Save Energy, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, the Appliance Standards Awareness Project and the Electronic Security Association.