Patterico's Pontifications

3/8/2008

McClintock Introduces Bill to Prevent Remote Control of Thermostats

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 9:24 pm



Bradley J. Fikes reports in the N.C. Times:

Home control of thermostats would be guaranteed under a new bill introduced in the state Legislature.

The bill would forbid the California Building Standards Commission from mandating thermostats that are remote-controlled by anyone other than the building’s resident. Called Senate Bill 1491, the bill by State Sen. Tom McClintock, R-Thousand Oaks, is in draft form.

Good ol’ Tom McClintock — my hero. Not much of a surprise that he’d be behind something sensible like this.

The California Energy Commission attempted earlier this year to mandate so-called “programmable communicating thermostats” in new and substantially remodeled homes. Utilities seeking to cut power consumption as shortages developed could have used a remote control device in the thermostat to override customer control. The device would not have been removable by the customer.

After an intense public outcry, the commission rejected the proposal at its Jan. 30 meeting.

McClintock’s bill would forbid the California Building Standards Commission from mandating such remote control. The commission has ultimate authority among state agencies over building standards. The bill specifies that voluntary installation of the thermostats could be allowed in a building standard.

Here’s hoping the bill passes. But let’s do more than hope. Call your legislator.

More on Obama’s “Housing Problem”

Filed under: 2008 Election — DRJ @ 2:47 pm



[Guest post by DRJ]

NK, our resident Chicago expert on Obama, brought to my attention these January 2008 MSNBC and MyDD stories on why Barack Obama’s land deal with Tony Rezko may be a problem.

Here’s a link from MyDD along with a January 28, 2008, MSNBC video that makes the issues easier to understand if you are a visual person like me.

[NOTE: The video embed doesn’t work here so please click on the MyDD link to see the MSNBC video or use the link in NK’s comment 2 below.]

There’s related speculation at this MyDD link regarding potential real estate tax issues.

— DRJ

Keeping Count of Obama News (Update: Obama Wins Wyoming)

Filed under: 2008 Election — DRJ @ 11:49 am



[Guest post by DRJ]

Jim Geraghty notes that, for Barack Obama, bad news comes in threes fours:

“I guess with Goolsbee on NAFTA, Susan Rice on who’s ready for 3 a.m., and Samantha Power on Iraq (and Hillary being a monster), then we were due to hear from another Obama adviser sooner or later.

Turned out to be very soon.”

Geraghty notes an interview by Obama adviser and former CIA official John Brennan in which he strongly supported immunity for telecom companies that had been sued for cooperating with a “dubious U.S. government domestic surveillance program.” Obama voted to strip immunity from Senate legislation.

In good news for Obama, he’s taken an early lead in the Wyoming Democratic caucuses, leading Hillary Clinton 58-41 with 57% of the precincts reporting. The AP reports that Democratic participants “deluged caucuses in Wyoming Saturday, straining the ability of party officials to accommodate crowds.”

UPDATE: In Wyoming, Obama beat Hillary “by double digits [59-40] after a day of historic turnout in the state.”

— DRJ


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