Rand Paul: Why Not Dump Energy Department?

Freshman Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., hasn’t been shy about laying into the Energy Department, criticizing it last month for its appliance efficiency standards. And he blasted away again Thursday, saying the department “could be gotten rid of,” The Hill reports.

“It interferes with and takes away our choices on what kind of showers we want, what kind of toilets we want, what kind of light bulbs we want.” Paul told Fox Business Network. “Most of the Department of Energy is an impediment to producing energy. Not one barrel of oil is produced by the Department of Energy. But the Department of Energy stops a lot of oil from being produced.”

Paul has voiced support for energy conservation, but says the steps taken to accomplish it should be voluntary.