Another chain e-mail, another Pants on Fire

By Catharine Richert
Published on Monday, November 23rd, 2009 at 5:38 p.m.

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Under the cap-and-trade bill, homes would have to be retrofitted to meet energy and water efficiency standards before they could be sold.

Chain email, Monday, November 23rd, 2009.

Ruling: Pants on Fire! | Details

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A chain e-mail claims the cap-and-trade bill would require homes to be retrofitted to meet energy standards before they're sold.

In the past few months, we've gotten many variations of a chain e-mail that claims the cap-and-trade bill making its way through Congress would put strict requirements on home energy efficiency -- so much, in fact, that it could deter people from selling their homes.  

According to the e-mail, "Beginning 1 year after enactment of the Cap and Trade Act, you won't be able to sell your home unless you retrofit it to comply with the energy and water efficiency standards of this Act. H.R. 2454, the 'Cap & Trade' bill passed by the House of Representatives."

"A year from now you won't be able to sell your house," the e-mail goes on. "Yes, you read that right. The caveat is (there always is a caveat) that if you have enough money to make required major upgrades to your home, then you can sell it. But, if not, then forget it."
 
We checked it out and -- surprise! -- found the e-mail didn't get the facts right .