The Government and it’s agencies are suppose to be trustworthy and have our best interests at heart, but the lack of oversight is astounding!  Sometimes, it’s due to overwork, sometimes, due to general incompetence…

But, evidently the Energy Star & related programs, have been approving devices with little oversight and no much more than a casual glance at the application.

Does a “gasoline-powered alarm clock” qualify for the EnergyStar label, the government stamp of approval for an energy-saving product?

Like more than a dozen other bogus products submitted for approval since last June by Congressional auditors posing as companies, it easily secured the label, according to a Congressional report to be issued Friday. So did an “air purifier” that was essentially an electric space heater with a feather duster pasted on top, the Government Accountability Office said.

Source: Audit Finds Vulnerability of EnergyStar Program – NYTimes.com.