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.
Does that mean my small, 1940’s Frigidaire (”Made only by General Motors”) is an enemy of the State and must be destroyed?
Not as long as it keeps beer cold.