MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT) -- Tennessee Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn’s effort to short-circuit new Obama Administration appliance energy efficiency standards is getting national attention.
Blackburn represents Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, including a large swath of Middle and West Tennessee stretching from Clarksville to Franklin to Savannah.
Monday on National Public Radio's Morning Edition, reporter Scott Horsley noted that Blackburn earlier this month led a Republican effort in the House of Representatives to pass legislation blocking Department of Energy efforts to update appliance energy efficiency requirements for U.S. manufacturers.
The new standards haven’t been finalized yet, but ceiling fans would be among the items facing stringent new requirements. Blackburn spoke about her opposition to the standards on the House floor.
“We’ve already seen the Federal Government stretch their regulatory tentacles into our homes and determine what kind of light bulbs we have to use. Now they’re coming after our ceiling fans. It is a sad state of affairs when even our ceiling fans aren’t safe from this administration.”
In it’s story, NPR noted that Hunter Fans, one of the nation’s largest fan makers, is based in Memphis.
The bill passed by Republicans in the House would not only freeze ceiling fan efficiency standards at current levels, but also seeks to reduce funding for the DOE efficiency standards program to their lowest levels since the Department was formed in 1977.
President Obama has threatened to veto the measure.