Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, I rise today in opposition to the amendment to strike section 4125 of the bill, which is language that Representative Welch and I have coauthored over the past two Congresses with bipartisan support. It was developed with a cross section of interests, including efficiency and consumer advocates, manufacturers, and the EPA. By rejecting this amendment and keeping our language, we have an opportunity to encourage manufacturers to continue participation in the Energy Star program. Energy Star is a highly successful, voluntary program. Consumers, manufacturers, and the government all win under Energy Star. The program was designed to be low-cost and low-compliance to incentivize participation by manufacturers, and the language included in this bill is needed to continue to incentivize participation. For a product to be branded with the Energy Star logo, it must meet certain energy-saving guidelines. Manufacturers who choose to participate in this voluntary program make the necessary investments needed to increase the energy efficiency of their products. In order to ensure their products maintain the required levels of efficiency, the Department of Energy performs off-the-shelf testing. If a product fails to meet the standard, that product is disqualified and then publicly listed on the Energy Star Web site. Immediately following a product's disqualification listing, the manufacturer and the EPA will then work to resolve the cause for disqualification.…”