Friday, March 11, 2011

Sen. Rand Paul Slams Dept. of Energy Over Toilets, Light Bulbs

USA Today reports:

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., lambasted the Energy Department today, saying the agency forces Americans to buy toilets that don't flush properly and light bulbs they don't want in the name of energy efficiency.

During a hearing of the Senate's Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Paul told Energy Department official Kathleen Hogan "my toilets don't work in my house. And I blame you and people like you who want to tell me what I can install in my house...."

In a related development, SFGate.com ran a story about an unintended consequence of low-flow toilets:

Skimping on toilet water has resulted in more sludge backing up inside the sewer pipes, said Tyrone Jue, spokesman for the city Public Utilities Commission. That has created a rotten-egg stench near AT&T Park and elsewhere, especially during the dry summer months.

The city has already spent $100 million over the past five years to upgrade its sewer system and sewage plants, in part to combat the odor problem....

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