California, a seriously green state when it comes to the environment (if not when it comes to the greenbacks it badly needs these days) is looking at possibly banning power-hungry home appliances (including some HD models) in a couple of years, although legislative details are still to be worked out.
The state has made good on past promises to curb its previous air pollution problems in Los Angeles and other metro regions, and now the California Energy Commission is considering new regulations which conceivably could include a ban on some HD monitors being sold in the Golden State.
Any such pro-action by California could signal the launch of the nation's first efficiency standard, in effect, for large-screen HD sets and similar CE products. The state commission is mostly concerned about such products because of their potential drain on the state's vast (and strained) electric grid.
Pending legislation, if finally passed, eventually could restrict the sale of HD sets and other appliances that do not meet certain energy efficiencies, and likely would not take effect before 2011. Even tougher standards could kick in a couple of years later — all aimed at saving the beleaguered state up to $8 billion on its electric bill over a decade.
