On this one is President Obama right
Jun 29th, 2009 by David Anderson
The President is now the lamp czar. The White House is announcing new regulations which set standards for lighting. He claims that they will save the equivilent of 14 coal powered power plants. It raises legitimate concerns about the nanny state. Is this a proper role of government?
“Conservation is only half the equation. Even as we use less energy, we need to produce more of our own,” said Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. “We have to admit there’s a gap between the clean, renewable fuel we want and the reliable energy we need.” This is according to the June29 Washington Post on line.
That does raise another question? Should something not be done if it is part of the equation? Can any real solution not include some type of conservation? It seems like reducing our dependence on foreign oil is a national security issue.
Two areas that are painless but effective are light bulbs and encouraging people to upgrade their cars. The cash for clunkers program is a smart start even though 54% of the people are critical of the program.
I am very critical of the over reaching pushed by the administration in their energy regime. It is invasive in our lives and threatens our prosperity. These measures on the other hand may actually advance it.
This may be one of the times that the President is right.
What if you have a 15 year old fridge and washer and dryer that arent energy star rated? will you be required to buy new ones? what if your house is sided without tyvek and lesser quality materials that arent as energy efficient? will you be required to replace that? How about your roof, windows, furnace, A/C unit? how many coal powered plants will those replace if everyone had to replace all that equipment?
No, but new commercial standards have been set for when you do. It is not about forcing people to replace things; it is about what happens when they do.
What can we expect when we allow ourselves to be governed by second rate lawyers? Al Gore could not even make it through law school and he claims technological expertise by virtue of throwing around a few buzz words.
I use a lot of compact fluorescent lamps because they are cost effective. They do not live up to their advertised life expectancy. Who keeps receipts for such items and who has taken any back for a refund or replacement? Yet there are applications where they should not be used, such as areas of high humidity. Stick with incandescent.
They also contain a minute quantity of mercury and some lapse into the chicken little mode when one is broken. Hysteria over mercury is greatly overblown and if one gets broken, throw out the pieces. No one will ask and you should not tell.
But should we relegate control over every aspect of our life to some commissar who is likely to be a hack retread?
“What if you have a 15 year old fridge and washer and dryer that arent energy star rated?”
David’s wrong, you will have to replace everything if you ever want to sell your house. On top of the traditional home inspection for termites, radon, etc., you will have to go through a federally mandated energy audit – there’s a career suggestion for you! – and if your residence isn’t up to code you won’t be able to close without buying new appliances or writing the cost of upgrading into the contract.
Actually, an energy audit is a good thing to do if you want to save on your utility bills, but I hate the idea of the government sticking it down our throats. And Mike Castle voted for it.