Consumer Reports, “National Snitch”?

This week, CEI criticized Consumer Reports for reporting a high-performing shower head to federal authorities-not because it is defective or fraudulently advertised, but because it exceeds government limits on shower head water flow.  CEI General Counsel, Sam Kazman had this to say about the review:

“Consumer Reports has it backwards, […]Its duty is to consumers, not bureaucrats. It should not be acting as a nosy bathroom cop, trying to toss good products in the slammer just because they violate some intrusive federal regulation. More basically, people ought to be able to use whatever shower fixtures they want, just like they can decide how long a shower to take. This is a really victimless crime.”

Amanda Carpenter of the Washington Times commented on the issue in Tuesday’s paper.

“Sound the alarm. Consumer Reports has alerted the environmental authorities about a law-breaking shower head.”

EPA, meanwhile, is planning to reduce shower head flow even more in the near future.  Mr. Kazman stated that Consumers Union, the magazine’s publisher, “will probably support this, because it, like the federal government, doesn’t care if consumers get soaked.”