Senate passed on 88-11 vote Fri. energy conservation bill (HR-4) ...

Senate passed on 88-11 vote Fri. energy conservation bill (HR-4) that would require Energy Secy. to establish standards for electronics and household appliances when they're operating in standby mode, in which devices use least of amount of energy without being switched off. Bill by House Commerce Committee Chmn. Tauzin (R-La.) would require that certain electronics products manufactured in or imported into U.S. consume no more than 1 watt in standby mode. Energy Dept. would have until Jan. 1, 2007, to begin related rulemaking on DTV sets, digital set-top boxes, digital video recorders. It would have 18 months to issue final rule for those items, taking into consideration: (1) “Potential effects on market penetration of digital products.” (2) “Any recommendations by the FCC regarding such effects.” Bill also would require Energy Dept. and Environmental Protection Agency to determine whether to extend use of Energy Star efficiency label to telephony products.