The Nation - News from Nov. 2, 1986

President Reagan vetoed legislation that would have established minimum energy-efficiency standards for home appliances, arguing that it would force consumers to pay an extra $1.4 billion in higher costs. In a memorandum of disapproval, Reagan complained that the measure “intrudes unduly on the free market, limits the freedom of choice available to consumers who would be denied the opportunity to purchase lower-cost appliances and constitutes a substantial intrusion into traditional state responsibilities and prerogatives.” He added that by eliminating lower-priced appliances, “the bill would hit low-income consumers particularly hard.”