Posted on 03/18/2015 12:30:24 PM PDT by nickcarraway
The initiative would also pressure guests to reuse dirty linens.
Claims of bureaucratic overreach within the Environmental Protection Agency are nothing new; however, its latest initiative is ruffling a few more feathers than usual. With funding from a grant made to the University of Tulsa, the EPA hopes to develop a prototype for a device that would monitor and report the water use of hotel guests across America.
“Most hotels do not monitor individual guest water usage,” the grant states, “and as a result, millions of gallons of potable water are wasted every year by hotel guests.”
As per usual, the federal government asserted its position as the arbiter of personal behavior by explaining how individuals will now be shamed into using less water.
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The device being developed through the grant, the EPA confirmed, “will be designed to fit most new and existing hotel shower fixtures and will wirelessly transmit hotel guest water usage data to a central hotel accounting system.”
According to the grant, its goal will be to “assist hotel guests in modifying their behavior to help conserve water.”
One of the researchers working on the project explained his objective will be to “get hotel guests to reduce their water use by 10 percent or to reduce their showers by about one minute,” noting that the average hotel shower currently lasts about eight minutes.
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Beyond water waste in the shower, the project will also include pleas to reuse towels and other linens while staying in a hotel room instead of requesting they be laundered.
Rush Limbaugh noted on his syndicated radio show Tuesday that he believes it will be just a matter of time until the EPA attempts to force citizens to install such software in their own homes.
Limbaugh was hardly the only person outraged by the news. Twitter comments in response to a Fox News link included overwhelmingly negative reactions.
One user explained that a hotel is “the only place I enjoy a long hot shower especially since I’m paying enough for the room.”
Others cited this program as further evidence that the federal government needs to be pruned significantly.
Looks like there is a website dedicated to him.
mcgreeveys!cks.com. Reading it right now.
“I’m waiting to find out which hotel chain will be stupid enough to cooperate. Instant lifetime boycott.”
Hyatt might be the first. Penny Pritzker, daughter of the founder of Hyatt, is Barak Obama’s Secretary of Commerce and a major Democrat contributor. The Pritzker family owns Hyatt.
As far as the other hotels, they’ll fall fast. Imagine a emissary from the White speaks to a few carefully chosen CEO’s asking them to get behind this. Those CEO’s have private conversations with the heads of Hilton, Marriott, Starwood, and other major chains advising them traveling employees are going to be restricted to “green” hotels. Meanwhile, an emissary from the White House quietly advises those same hotel CEO’s a similar policy is being adopted by the federal government. The hotels will then “voluntarily” step in line and this concerted act will be applauded in the media. If the hotels comply “voluntarily” in unison, there can be no consumer boycott.
It is a win for the hotels who once the initial cost of the monitoring equipment is incurred will enjoy costs for water, fuel to heat water, and laundry services.
As others have pointed out, people will become used to the monitoring. In a few years there will be a mandate from the DOE and the EPA that all newly constructed housing in the US have these devices. A year of two later home sellers will be required to install the devices in their homes before they can sell the home or at the time of any renovations.
A time will come when household water will be rationed. The EPA will levy a tax on water consumption that will increase geometrically as usage hits thresholds established by bureaucrats.
The sheep will bleat when the regulations are announced but will pay the tax man quietly at the appointed hour.
Well said.
Bates Motel. eom
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