Energy Dept Announces New Regulations for Dishwashers and Washing Machines

Today the Department of Energy announced new regulations for dishwashers and clothes washers (washing machines). From the press release:

Wait, lets check out the contradiction in bold print that appears in the press release verbatim below

As part of the Obama Administration’s focus on taking sensible steps to save families money while also reducing energy consumption, the Department of Energy today announced common-sense energy efficiency standards for residential clothes washers and dishwashers that will save consumers $20 billion in energy and water costs. The new standards for both clothes washers and dishwashers were informed by important feedback from manufacturers, consumer groups, and environmental advocates, producing significant savings while retaining consumer choice. The clothes washers standard announced today will save households approximately $350 over the lifetime of the appliance, while offering consumers a variety of more efficient machine choices

*So which one is it? will they be “reatining consumer choice” or “offering consumers a variety of more efficient machine choices”?

**Also does anyone proofread their press releases before they submit them to the public?

In order to make the announcement bearable to the regular consumer they must include the qualifiers that these decisions were made by consulting consumer groups, manufacturers, and environmental advocates. But in reality what happened was the consumer groups’ ideas and feedback are irrelevant. And the manufacturers already know that whatever Secretary Chu’s band of scary wanksters come up with in conjunction with the “environmental advocates” will become law/regulation no matter what.

So there you go folks. Energy Star just wasn’t enough. They must go farther. And somehow they are going retain consumer choice, and offer a variety of more efficient machines, by dictating to manufacturers what they will be allowed to produce.

Land of the free retained freedom; while offering a variety of more freedom.

Dont worry, we’ll retain your freedom to wash that