APPLIANCE STANDARDS ALERT

[Matt Freedman <freedman@Essential.ORG>]

  APPLIANCE EFFICIENCY STANDARDS STILL HANG BY A THREAD
  FY 96 BUDGET STANDOFF CONTINUES
  
  **The following alert is being issued by the American Council for
  an Energy-Efficient Economy**
  
  The House of Representatives, the Senate, and the Clinton
  Administration continue to face off over the 1996 Budget, even
  though the fiscal year is now more than half over.  In March,
  both the House and the Senate passed an omnibus appropriations
  bill (H.R. 3019, the so-called "Balanced Budget Downpayment Act,
  II") to provide appropriations for the agencies that were shut
  down in December and January, including the Department of Energy
  programs funded in the Interior and Related Agencies
  Appropriations Bill. 
  
  Major disagreements persist over spending levels and priorities. 
  Additionally, major differences remain between the Administration
  and the Congress over several legislative "riders," extraneous
  provisions tacked on to the appropriations bill because they
  would be less likely to be enacted if considered as free-standing
  legislation.
  
  A prohibition on the issuance of energy efficiency standards
  for new appliances by DOE has been included in this bill by both
  the House and Senate.  Although first proposed in the summer of
  1995, this moratorium on standard-setting has not yet become law,
  since the Administration and Congress were never able to agree on
  funding levels or legislative riders for an Interior
  Appropriations Bill.  
       (Government agencies were re-opened after the shutdown by
       enactment of a so-called "Continuing Resolution" (CR) which
       provided funding at reduced levels, but without any
       legislative riders.  A series of these CR's with short
       expiration dates have been enacted as Congress and the
       Administration have been unable to agree on appropriations
       bills.  The current Continuing Resolution funds the
       government through April 24.)  
       
  The Clinton Administration continues to object to the
  moratorium on energy efficiency standards and to other riders. 
  But the President's resolve to continue to oppose this attack on
  conservation can be strengthened by hearing from states,
  communities, utilities, and citizens who are concerned enough to
  write, call, FAX, or E-mail the White House at this time.  You
  can reach the White House by --
                 
                 letter:   The President
                           The White House
                           Washington, DC  20500
  
                 phone:    (202)456-1111
  
                 fax:      (202)456-2461
  
                 e-mail:   president@whitehouse.gov  
  
  Based on your own experience and concerns, let the Clinton
  Administration know why the Appliance Standards Moratorium should
  not be allowed to become law in any final budget compromise.  You
  can mention that --
  
       -  the appliance energy efficiency standards already
       adopted are expected to save consumers $132 billion over the
       period 1990 to 2030;
  
       -  the appliance energy efficiency standards already
       adopted will reduce national electricity usage by 3% by the
       year 2000, displacing the need for 31 large (500 MW) power
       plants and cutting the emissions of many pollutants
       resulting from the generation of electric power;
  
       -  the moratorium will delay a proposed new standard now
       ready to be issued for refrigerators and freezers, which
       itself will result in electricity savings of 23 billion 
       kWh/yr by 2015, equivalent to the power typically supplied
       by 8 large (500 MW) baseload power plants.
   
  You may also want to thank the President for opposing this ill-
  conceived proposal, and encourage him to "hang in there" over the
  next few weeks of high pressure negotiations with Senator Dole
  and Speaker Gingrich.  Key decisions will most likely be made
  before the latest Continuing Resolution expires on Wednesday,
  April 24.
  
  With your help, this attack on a decade of progress in energy
  efficiency may yet be turned back. 
  
  For more information, contact ACEEE (202-429-8873) or Matt Freedman at 
  Public Citizen (202-546-4996).
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