[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 91 (Wednesday, June 19, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H6517]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          THE ENERGY STANDARD

  (Mr. GILLMOR asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GILLMOR. Mr. Speaker, today the House will debate the interior 
appropriations bill. While I support many of the provisions of this 
bill, I do have serious concerns in at least one area. Nearly 20 years 
ago, Congress asked the Energy Department to set energy efficiency 
standards for home appliances. This was an effort to stem the 
unnecessarily rapid rate of energy consumption in this country. By 
establishing national standards for everyone to use, a valuable 
measuring stick was created to permit manufacturers to commit time, 
investment and engineering resources. However, this was all placed on 
hold in our spending bill in 1996 which put a moratorium on rulemaking.
  While I have never been one to support increased regulation, this 
issue should have been handled better. Congress ought not be in the 
business of artificially manipulating a steady market once it is 
established. Yet this is exactly what the appropriations bill report 
language purports to do.
  Second, the issue of energy standard should be dealt with through the 
Committee on Commerce, the committee of jurisdiction. What the 
committee is attempting to do is to interfere in the economic 
marketplace.

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