Energy Department Says It Has ‘Mandate’ to Force ‘Market Transformation’ for Household Appliances

CNSNews ^ | September 17, 2010 | Penny Starr

[jazusamo]

Assistant Secretary of Energy Cathy Zoi said Thursday that the U.S. Department of Energy has a “mandate” to issue regulations to determine what household appliances are available to Americans in the future.

Assistant Secretary of Energy Cathy Zoi (CNSNews.com photo/Penny Starr)

Speaking at the inaugural meeting of the recently reestablished Secretary of Energy Advisory Board (SEAB), Zoi pointed to four tactics the Obama administration intended use to advance the “deployment of clean energy.” The first three were government subsidies for private-sector green energy projects, special tax incentives for green energy projects and low-interest government-backed loans for green energy projects.

“The fourth one, which the secretary and I love,” said Zoi, “is where we have a mandate. Where we can actually just issue regulations and do market transformation.”

Zoi was referring to authority the department has under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 as amended by the Energy Policy Act of 2005. That law gives the DOE the power to set efficiency standards for energy-consuming products.

“That’s an existing statute that this department of energy is going to make work really hard,” Zoi said. “We’ve already issued appliance standards that are going to save the American public somewhere between $250 billion and $300 billion over the next 20 years just by getting the crummy stuff off the market.”

Energy Secretary Steven Chu, who also spoke at the meeting, announced in April that the department had finalized five new “higher energy efficiency standards” for commercial clothes washers, small electric motors, water heaters, direct heating equipment and pool heaters.

Standards for 10 additional categories of products are expected to be finalized by the end of next year, according to a DOE spokeswoman. These will include new standards for refrigerators, microwave ovens, residential and mobile home furnaces, fluorescent light ballasts, residential clothes washers and dryers, room and central air conditioners, and battery chargers.

“We’re going to update [the standards] more frequently” said Zoi. “We have the power to do that in the statute.”

Before becoming President Barack Obama’s assistant secretary of energy for energy efficiency and renewable energy, Zoi served as environmental adviser to President Bill Clinton and the founding CEO of former Vice President Al Gore’s Alliance for Climate Protection.

Zoi said that stricter federal energy efficiency standards will “drive innovation” and are “cost effective.”

“As the secretary [Chu] says, ‘We’re going to make people save money for themselves,’” Zoi said. “They haven’t dumped the dollar bills on the ground yet.”

The SEAB was first chartered in the George H. W. Bush administration, but was disbanded by President George W. Bush’s Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman. Chu reestablished the board in August.

Jen Stutsman, an Energy Department spokeswoman, told CNSNews.com that energy efficiency regulations issued by the department are designed to help consumers and manufacturers.

“Our goal is to develop standards that are both technically feasible and economically justified and that maximize the benefits to consumers while minimizing any negative impacts on manufacturers or others,” Stutsman said.

At the first meeting of the reestablished board on Thursday, Chu said energy and science are vital to the country’s future, as is the work of the DOE.

“We feel that beyond just energy, science is at the heart of what will keep America prosperous in the coming years,” Chu said.

The 12-member board includes former government officials and corporate executives, including Clinton Director of Central Intelligence John Deutch; Clinton Defense Secretary William Perry and former Clinton Labor Secretary Alexis Herman; and former Lockheed Martin CEO Norman Augustine.

[The Antiyuppie]

I would like to flush them all down the toilet, but I’d probably have to illegally import one from Canada.

[parisa]

RAT infested ship...that’s the State of the Union right now....RAT infested ship.

[libertarian27]

“As the secretary [Chu] says, ‘We’re going to make people save money for themselves,’” Zoi said. “They haven’t dumped the dollar bills on the ground yet.”

OK, I'm stumped, what on earth does that bolded statement above mean?

“We’ve already issued appliance standards that are going to save the American public....... just by getting the crummy stuff off the market.”

Hey, I like my crummy stuff, it still works and I can't afford all your shiny non-crummy stuff as fast as you apparently are going to force me to buy it - stfu

[screaminsunshine]

She is a Communist idiot. Screw her.

[Hattie]

So when my ancient refrig goes, a new one will cost about $5000 so Obama and all can get their piece.

[Borax Queen]

Doesn’t she look like a clone of that other one Hussein just appointed (Warren)?? Don’t they all look like clones of each other with their Bolshevik glasses? I feel like I’m in the “Stepford Wives.”

[chris_bdba]

That is what we plan to do when we go to build our house.I want real toilets not the junk we can buy here now.

[STONEWALLS]

...she and her husband are up to their eyeballs in energy driven stock deals....take a quick peek at this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathy_Zoi

[Lakeshark]

Henceforth, all Stepford wives shall wear Bolshevik glasses........

*Loud creepy voice* Muahahahahahahaha.

[Eagle Eye]

It’s for our own good, ya know.

[Eagle Eye]

It’s for our own good, ya know.

[freedomtrail]

Nixon,maybe? not sure and im to lazy too look it up.

[jazusamo]

Yeah, that figures!

From your link:

Zoi has also worked for several energy-focused organizations

Translation = Enviro nazi orgs

[MamaDearest]

Govt. Energy Star Program a Farce

Snip: The federal agency recently swayed by the industry it regulates to conceal a hazardous chemical has been duped into labeling bogus products as greenhouse emissions-decreasing energy savers that qualify for government rebates.

This certainly indicates that Uncle Sam’s highly-touted Energy Star program, which offers hundreds of millions of dollar in rebates to those who use “energy efficient” products, is a big joke or at the very least a waste of public funds.

The scandal-plagued Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) runs the program along with the Department of Energy (DOE) and millions of tax dollars have been spent to encourage Americans to use its approved products. In fact, Energy Star just got a $300 million infusion from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act so states can offer rebates.

Now a congressional investigation reveals that products carrying the coveted Energy Star label may not be efficient after all because the program is highly vulnerable to fraud. More than a dozen fake items, including a “gasoline-powered alarm clock” and nonexistent dehumidifiers and heat pumps, submitted for approval easily secured the Energy Star label, according to a report issued this week by the Government Accountability Office.

[steelyourfaith]

Thanx again, AAC !

 

Beam me to Planet Gore !

[Borax Queen]

BAD Sharky! He lives!!! *boxing gloves on*

:0)

[Fresh Wind]

Incandescent light bulbs are one of the most efficient types of heaters around.

And they are being outlawed.

[funfan]

Sad but ture—and what pray tell happens if you do not have the money to buy a new appliance-if they lowered the $2,900.00 which my husband has deducted form his paycheck in taxes monthly maybe we could afford a new appliance. I have had it with these people liars and cheaters and stealers is what they are

[denydenydeny]

“The fourth one, which the secretary and I love,” said Zoi, “is where we have a mandate. Where we can actually just issue regulations and do market transformation.”

The party of "choice."

Pol Pot and Josef Stalin "loved" this power too.

[Borax Queen]

We’re stockpiling those.... Who knew we’d have to buy them on the black market in our country?? I think they’ll continue to be made in Mexico, but it’s kind of scary to go down there now. We did have a legislator who tried to pass a bill to exempt us from the national fascist restriction, but Brewer vetoed the bill.