While they provide a beautiful, clear picture, plasma screen televisions are a huge detriment to the environment, and California could be the first state to ban them. Earlier this month state regulators in California began drafting a plan to remove all plasma screen televisions from retail shelves. Plasma screen and LCD TVs gluttonize electricity and account for 10 percent of all Californians’ electric bills, according to the Los Angeles Times. The new rules, which are expected to go into effect by mid-2009, would only give consumers the option of choosing a more energy-efficient model.

Last year California was ranked number one in energy efficiency by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. Officials say the standards, once fully in place, would reduce the state's annual energy needs by an amount equivalent to the power consumed by 86,400 homes. The LA Times says that during peak TV viewing times, such as during the Super Bowl, the electricity used to power those TVs is the same amount used to power the San Onofre nuclear power station at full capacity. 

But California isn’t the only place banning plasma screens from stores. The European Union is also putting a ban on certain energy-draining plasma screen televisions. The Daily Mail says the legislation should pass this spring and will remove the most energy-consuming televisions from store shelves and will place a label on all other TVs encouraging energy efficient choices.

President Barack Obama signed an executive order Monday morning, asking the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reconsider California’s request to create its own limits on automobile carbon dioxide emissions. The state’s goal is to reduce emissions by 30 percent by 2016. To make that goal, automakers would be required to manufacture automobiles that get better mileage. While the state’s requirements would be stricter than any national standard, 13 other states may follow California’s lead.

In his address on the executive order, he said, “I want to be clear from the beginning of this administration that we have made our choice. America will not be held hostage to the dwindling resources, hostile regimes and a warming planet.” Along with the EPA request, Obama asked that automakers enhance their fuel efficiency standards nationwide for 2011. He also is looking for more ways that federal agencies can save energy.

According to Union of Concerned Scientists President Kevin Knobloch, "This is the first of a number of campaign promises President Obama needs to fulfill when it comes to bolstering our economy and protecting the environment. Cleaner cars will strengthen our domestic auto industry. Cutting emissions from the transportation sector is critical to avoiding the worst consequences of global warming. By directing the Department of Transportation to revisit federal fuel economy standards, Obama has an opportunity to make even greater gains in cutting our oil consumption and saving consumers money at the pump.”

You can watch more of what Obama said in the video below.

Let’s all stop and applaud California. This year, the state ranks first on the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy’s (ACEEE) list of U.S. states that use energy efficiency policies, programs and practices as the first step in improving their economies. Among the top 10 — along with the golden state — are Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont.

ACEEE first started ranking states in 2006 as a way to encourage each state to promote energy independence and efficiency. The 2008 scorecard rates and ranks each state on a 50-point scale for their energy efficiency policy initiatives, including:

• Utility-sector and public benefits efficiency programs and policies
• Transportation and land use policies
• Building energy codes
• Combined heat and power (CHP)
• Appliance efficiency standards
• Energy efficiency in public buildings and fleets
• Research, development, and deployment (RD&D)
• Financial incentives for efficient technologies

Watch the Scorecard Webcast and see how your state ranks. And let us know what you think of your state’s performance by posting a comment below.