Major LCD TV Makers To Jointly Oppose California TV Energy Regulation (CEDailyNews.com)

October 19, 2009

EXCERPT: A group of major LCD TV makers is planning to submit a joint letter to the California Energy Commission opposing its proposed energy use limits for TVs, according to an industry executive involved in drafting the letter. The move would put the LCD TV makers at odds with the position taken by the LCD TV Association, which last week told the commission that LCD TVs can meet the CEC's proposed tier two-levels in 2012 "with current technology [and] without substantial cost premiums to the consumer" (GED Oct 14 p1). …Meanwhile, CE industry executives complained that stakeholders who opposed the regulation were given short shrift at the CEC public hearing last week (GED Oct 14 p1). "We are not only dealing with an unjustified and unnecessary regulation but we are also dealing with a terribly biased process," said Douglas Johnson, CEA senior director of technology policy. Neither of the commissioners who presided over the hearing had been involved in the TV specification process or past hearings where issues were discussed in detail, he said. One industry executive said the hearing was "basically a sham" because the first 15 people who were called to testify were supporters of the regulation. "The speakers were supposed to be selected at random," he said. Another CE official said opponents of the regulation weren't given the "same opportunity to make presentations" as were given to environmental groups and others who backed the regulation. It was clear that the CEC was "pretty determined" to adopt the regulation "regardless of what we say," he said. The CEC did not respond by our deadline to a request for comment. "We are very disappointed that the CEC continues not to listen to industry's arguments," said Mark Sharp, group manager of Panasonic's Corporate Environmental Department. Another worry is that the proposed regulations "lack any consumer education component for the most part," he said. "The ultimate result of that will be TVs that have fewer features" and models that don't qualify to be sold in the state, he said. "It's a situation where we feel that we are going to have the California Energy Commission ultimately design TVs feature by feature and we are very dismayed that the CEC apparently does not trust consumers to make their decisions." Comprised of consumers, small businesses, trade groups and associations, Californians for Smart Energy (www.CASmartEnergy.com) is a growing coalition dedicated to having a real discussion about meeting California's energy needs – without job-killing regulations that are harmful to California's economy. You can also find us on Twitter (www.twitter.com/casmartenergy) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/pages/Californians-for-Smart-Energy/118950385329) and YouTube (www.youtube.com/casmartenergy).

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