I wish enviros (and, hell, everyone else) would kick up more of a fuss about this kind of stuff. Energy-efficiency measures don’t get enough attention, from the PTB or from the green movement.
The Bushies are lowballing these standards because, well, that’s what they do: the minimal necessary to keep up appearances and still not bother their industry friends. If they discovered that everyone was watching, and a shitstorm would kick up every time they tried to skirt real, impactful rules on this sort of thing, they’d change their tune. As it is, they get away with it because everybody’s attention is elsewhere.