Posted on 09/18/2010 12:26:58 PM PDT by goldendays
Energy Department Says It Has ‘Mandate’ to Force ‘Market Transformation’ for Household Appliances
Assistant Secretary of Energy Cathy Zoi said Thursday that the U.S. Department of Energy has a “mandate” to issue regulations that will determine what household appliances are available to Americans in the future.
as a “mandate” to issue regulations to determine what household appliances are available to Americans in the future.
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.
A time lock that will only permit you to open your frig once every hour. This will have multiple benefits to the consumer. It will decrease energy use by limiting the loss of cold air by the user opening the door multiple times in a short period of time. The user will be forced to plan his trip to the frig to get everything he will need in a single visit.
Finger print reader locks. These will be for families with children to prevent grazing youngsters from making hourly trips to the frig to see if there is anything to snack on. Added benefit is to prevent obese children from uncontrolled eating.
Annoying door ajar alarm that sounds once per second while the frig door is open. This prevents you from accidentally leaving the door open. The alarm will also grow in intensity continuously after the door has been open for more than 15 seconds. This is an incentive to the consumer to not to graze or visit the frig just because he is board.
These features may seem absurd and I intend them as satire but I can easily see features like these being mandated by this administration.
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.
I'm pretty sure that George Bush got rid of most of those industries.
So we're gonna have to rely on some Mexican or Chinese engineer to figure out how to comply with those new standards.
Besides, all our engineers are busy flipping burgers at Mickey-D's.
They don't have time to wade through those standards anymore.
They gotta do whatever it takes to make ends meet and raise a family.
This administration is a socialist cluster-blank.
Today on ‘Ask This Old House’ they had a spot on ‘fixing a toilet’ that uses $100 worth of water per year. The internal transformation parts cost fifty dollars up front and save approx $50 per year in water. The commie government can artifically generate economic growth if it keeps coming up with mandated changes the citizens have to spring for, lke the stupid flourescent bulbs. In the case of water use, or electrical use, the government has easy means to monitor a household use so they will jump on these until the bastards are removed from office ... and guillotined, if it’s let up to me.
We long ago abandoned the “three branch” government model that kids learn in school. Agencies form the fifth (the ACLU is the fourth) branch of government. Answerable to no one, they dictate policy based on sweeping generalizations of their mandates.
U.S Senate Passing Bills In Secret
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmSS5H8yUKE
“I think the conservative revolution needs to kick it up a notch.”
Absolutely. I’ve been toying with an idea... Orin Hatch had the Judiciary Committee do an in depth study of the 2nd Amendment, going back to the words of the founders where they clearly stated that it was a right of the people. It was a lengthy examination & was published. You can get it on Amazon. I’d like to petition the Republicans to do the same thing for the General Welfare Clause, and then write a new amendment requiring that it be interpreted to mean just what the founders intended - limited to interstate issues, & nothing else. That would limite judicial rulings, & would be the crux of getting rid of the vast majority of federal departments. What do you think?
Good idea. Unfortunately the judicial branch is made up of people who are deferential to the executive branch.
My favorite solution is for congress to be required to approve all federal regulations before they become in effect. We would get a few benefits from this. First, and most important I think, is accountability. Congressmen would be able to be held accountable for the laws. Second, it would negate expert opinion in favor of popular opinion.
We weren’t meant to be ruled by people everyone agrees are smarter than us.
The internal transformation parts cost fifty dollars up front and save approx $50 per year in water.
That's a nice, simple little cost saving project that pays for itself within a year.
The commie government can artifically generate economic growth if it keeps coming up with mandated changes the citizens have to spring for, lke the stupid flourescent bulbs.
What do you have against flourescent bulbs???
Sure, they might cost a little extra when you buy them, but they use a lot less electricity than the regular bulbs and save a lot of money on your electric bill. If you were smart, you'd be using them anyway, without the government having to tell you. Especially in whatever lighting fixtures you use the most... like a front porch light that gets left on all night long.
I think you have a good idea. While we’re at it, we need to have the “subject to the jurisdiction” in the 14th Amendment clarified. I know what the original intent was, but the left has created a whole new meaning of the 14th Amendment, as it has with countless other laws and judicial decisions. I guess it’s that “living, breathing document” bullshit the left trots out in an attempt to render the Constitution meaningless.
This enrages me. Get the GD government out of my car, out of my house, out of my garage, out of my yard, and out of my bedroom. I hate these people. Disband this tyrannical dept of energy. Defund them. Please, the next congress, DO SOMETHING!
We have got to get these idiots away from the steering wheel and keep them away.
Thanks for the heads up Outlaw Woman
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Glad you picked it up Nachum. Your list is a rich source of information. Thanks for keeping it up to date.
What absolutely clueless, arrogant bastards.
Amazing.
Absolutely amazing.
Anytime. If you ever see anything relevant, let me know. :)
Will do
Those bulbs contain Mercury...
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