Green Stimulus Plan Idea: Require Energy Star For Government

You'd already guessed it ... but now it's official: The U.S. has been in recession since December 2007. The official announcement was made Monday, followed by yet another drop in the Dow.

My own belief (and the economic consensus is moving in this direction, too) is that public fiscal stimulus is needed stat. Ben Bernanke has tried his best with monetary policy, but the interest rates controlled by the Fed are so low that there's not much left to cut.

One quick fix is available to either the current Administration or to the incoming one, and it's a green one: Complete the pending Department of Energy regulations requiring federal agencies to buy and supply only Energy Star or similarly designated products for all procurements involving energy consumption. The regulations, mandated under the Energy Policy Act of 2005, would also require federal purchasing officials to identify and prominently display such products in inventories and listings.

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