Political Quotes

“The Department of Energy is charged with implementing congressionally directed energy efficiency standards. When the gentleman blithely says he doesn't like unelected bureaucrats, the people who work in these departments are trained and actually help consumers. Frankly, I think it is helpful for consumers to know, when they are going to buy a blouse, let's say, whether it is cotton or rayon. It is sort of nice to have the label on there. If you are driving a car, it is nice to know how many miles per gallon the car is going to get. You sort of get a sense of if you are going to buy this one or another one. With refrigerators, I think it is really great that you see how much energy it uses so you can buy a more efficient refrigerator, so you have your electricity bill go down. I don't know why the gentleman is objecting to helping the American consumer make better choices. In accordance with the statutes that we have passed, the Department of Energy has published regulations in the Code of Federal Regulations--in other words, it is not by some whim-- for more than 60 categories of appliance and equipment types. That helps consumers make good choices. The Department of Energy drafts the energy efficiency regulations with the full participation of equipment manufacturers and the public at large. The process includes thorough consideration of all comments and concerns.…”