CEI’s ‘Send Your Underwear to the Undersecretary’ Campaign Goes *Virtual*
Washington, D.C., June 18, 2007—CEI’s campaign against the U.S. Department of Energy’s disastrous washing machine efficiency rules has gone virtual. Rather than physically mailing underwear to the Undersecretary of Energy, the public can now email “virtual underwear” from CEI’s website with a few mouse clicks. This makes it far easier for those fed up with poor-performing washers to register their protests with the agency.
This is the latest salvo in CEI’s campaign against the DoE rules. According to the June issue of Consumer Reports, the new rules have resulted in “washers that don’t wash”, forcing consumers to spend “$1,000 dollars or more” for reliable top-loaders.
A CEI video on YouTube explains this sordid regulatory affair. And, in contrast to the restricted options that washing machine purchasers have under DoE’s rules, the CEI website lets people choose from 4 different underwear styles for their protest email.
Despite these findings, Congress is now considering proposals to raise efficiency standards even further–not only for washing machines, but for a huge array of devices ranging from light bulbs to automobiles. “If government can ruin something as simple as our washing machines, imagine what it will end up doing to something as complex as our cars,” said Sam Kazman, CEI General Counsel.