A few weeks ago I wrote about the Department of Energy’s plans to enact new water efficiency standards for washing machines that would essentially eliminate top loading washers — because a top loading washer that met the requirements would costs about $900 more than current models. The suggested changes aren’t proving too popular with Americans.
Rasmussen Research recently conducted a poll asking a random sample of people how they felt about the proposed regulations:
- Sixty-two percent of respondents said they did not support the proposed regulation. Only 10 percent of respondents said they favored the regulation. The rest were unsure.
- When told that the DOE estimated the washer would cost more up front but save more money over time to due to reduced water usage, 58 percent of respondents still opposed the regulation. Only 22 percent said the tradeoff would be worthwhile. The remainder were unsure.
This is exactly the sort of thing libertarians should take a high profile opposing. It’s a bad regulation that is likely to prove very unpopular once people are made aware of it.
Source:
New DOE Proposal A Wash. Rasmussen Research, December 1, 2000.