FlashReport readers will recall that I recently bestowed the “honor” of our Golden Trashcan Award to policy being put forward by the California Energy Commission (CEC) to ban big screen televisions in the name of Orwellian efforts to reduce energy consumption by – you! 

Since I wrote that commentary, I noted that a new coalition has formed to fight this lame-brained idea, and others like it – Californians for Smart Energy.  Today members of this coalition held a news conference outside of the CEC’s offices to oppose the big screen ban, and it arbitrary energy limits on televisions. 

That’s right, a bunch of unaccountable, unelected bureaucrats now want to control what TVs we can or cannot buy here in the “Golden State.” 

Californians for Smart Energy is a growing coalition of business owners and associations who support being “smart” about energy use, but are very much against any method that will cause undue harm to our economy, small businesses, hard-working families and consumers. 

This regulation ranks right up there with banning black cars or allowing public utilities to control your thermostat via remote control. 

The CEC is looking to regulate Californians’ electricity usage by mandating that all television sets sold in California use 33% less energy by 2011, and 49% less energy by 2013.  Currently, no state in the U.S. has such a standard in place, but from the looks of it, the CEC is expected to move on this regulation this summer.  The end result?  4,600 jobs destroyed and a cost of $50 million a year in lost tax revenues. California’s economy will be harmed; jobs will be lost; prices will increase; and consumer choice will decrease. If this regulation is enacted, it will remove 25% of current LCD and plasma big-screen TVs (and 100% of plasma models that are larger than 60 inches) off store shelves permanently.  

Now, the CEC likes to say that this regulation won’t ban any TVs, and that “consumers have the freedom to choose any type and size of television that meets the efficiency standard.”  But as I have pointed out before, the absurdity of that statement is beyond any rational person, as is this action.  TVs that don’t meet the CEC’s arbitrary energy standards will not be sold in California.  If it walks like a ban and quacks like a ban, it probably is one. 

Even in a more favorable economic climate, the CEC’s actions don’t make sense — certainly not now, and really, not ever.  California owns the dubious distinction of having the lowest credit rating of all fifty states.  Meanwhile, California citizens are paying the real price.  The state’s employment rate recently reached 11.5%, the highest level of joblessness since World War II.  In fact, some economists see California’s unemployment rate heading towards 15%.  For the state to pursue policies that hurt our economy, small businesses, and consumers is senseless under these circumstances. 

Thanks to folks at Californians for Smart Energy, FR readers can now go to this page and easily send an email to the CEC and tell them to just STOP this nonsense.  (Scroll down on the page, and put “Docket # 07-AAER-3” in your message to make sure it gets put into the public record).

Can you believe that we actually have to spend time on this?  Good grief.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 12th, 2009 at 12:00 am and is filed under Blog Posts.