On March 19, 2014, the California Energy Commission, the state’s primary energy policy and planning agency, announced that it was initiating a regulatory process leading to the regulation of 15 categories of consumer appliances as to usage of electricity, natural gas, and water.  This comes in part in response to the three-year drought period in California, which has reduced hydroelectric production of electricity.

The Commission provided the following schedule with expected release dates of draft regulations for several categories of products:

Faucets, Toilets, Urinals April 2014
Air Filters, Dimming Ballasts April 2014
LED lamps, MR lamps May 2014
Pool Pump motors, Portable electric spas August 2014
Computers, Monitors, and Displays November 2014
Network Equipment February 2015
Game Consoles February 2015
Commercial Clothes Dryers February 2015

 

The Commission noted that interested stakeholders will be provided with a public comment period to respond to the draft proposals.  In addition, a public workshop will be provided as a forum to discuss the proposals in person.

The Appliance Efficiency Regulations were last updated in 2012, and at that time included standards for 23 categories of federally regulated and non-federally regulated appliances.  The standards apply to appliances that are sold or offered for sale in California, except those sold wholesale in California for final retail sale outside the state and those designed and sold exclusively for use in recreational vehicles or other mobile equipment.

Tags: Appliance Efficiency Regulations, California, CEC
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Photo of Ingrid Rechtin Ingrid Rechtin

Ingrid Rechtin provides strategic legal advice to public and private companies in the life sciences, technology, energy, consumer goods and manufacturing sectors, ranging from start-ups to global corporations.

Her experience includes:

  • joint ventures
  • mergers and acquisitions, including product divestitures
  • venture capital investments (including
…

Ingrid Rechtin provides strategic legal advice to public and private companies in the life sciences, technology, energy, consumer goods and manufacturing sectors, ranging from start-ups to global corporations.

Her experience includes:

  • joint ventures
  • mergers and acquisitions, including product divestitures
  • venture capital investments (including corporate venture capital)
  • financings, including development funding transactions
  • licensing and complex commercial transactions
  • general corporate matters.

In addition, Ingrid has advised on numerous strategic investments in IP, including acquisitions and divestitures of patent portfolios and complex patent monetization transactions.

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Photo of Lawrence A. Hobel Lawrence A. Hobel

Lawrence Hobel advises domestic and international clients on policyholder coverage and complex environmental matters and litigation.

According to a recent edition of Chambers USA, sources say that Mr. Hobel is “very creative in his approach to insurance issues and looks at a…

Lawrence Hobel advises domestic and international clients on policyholder coverage and complex environmental matters and litigation.

According to a recent edition of Chambers USA, sources say that Mr. Hobel is “very creative in his approach to insurance issues and looks at a complicated problem and finds two or three ways to solve it that others wouldn’t,” and that he is “well spoken, has a fantastic grasp of the case law, is a good strategic thinker and is an all-around strong coverage attorney.”

Mr. Hobel has served as lead counsel in numerous major coverage actions, and has secured in excess of $1.5 billion dollars in insurance recoveries for extraordinary losses. He has represented policyholders in litigation and negotiations on a broad range of insurance recovery claims and coverage, including first party property damage and business interruption loss, D&O and E&O disputes, privacy and data breach claims, third party toxic tort, asbestos, product liability, property damage claims, and environmental liability coverage.

Mr. Hobel also co-chairs the firm’s Environmental Practice. Clients seek his counsel and representation on a broad range of environmental issues, including waste and hazardous materials and substances, air, water, natural resources, Proposition 65 and other disclosure laws, and land use siting and permitting. He has represented clients in corporate transactions in due diligence and to resolve environmental issues, including risk and cost allocation, structuring, use of insurance. He has defended clients in governmental enforcement litigation and negotiations, provided regulatory counsel and representation on federal, state and local environmental regulations impacting both project development and ongoing operations, and litigated CERCLA, private property damage and toxic tort disputes.

Mr. Hobel has recently focused most of his pro bono practice on representation of veterans in benefits disputes.

Mr. Hobel has been an Assistant Adjunct Professor of Insurance Law at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law and a panelist at numerous programs on insurance coverage and environmental issues.

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