Markey planning uniform cell charger bill. What?

Yes, you read that right.

If Massachusetts Democrat Ed Markey is to be taken at his word, one of his legislative priorities is the drafting of a bill that would seek to establish some uniform standard for the power cords that recharge mobile handsets.

“You buy a new car, they don’t change the way you put gasoline in,” Markey said this morning at a House oversight hearing on the Federal Communications Commission.

Indeed, a Blackberry charger will not repower an iPhone. So every time you upgrade to the latest and greatest model, there’s one more piece of electrical equipment that’s outlived its use.

“That’s creating a huge environment problem across the country. We have to dispose of all this stuff,” said Markey, who chairs the House subcommittee on the environment. “Plus it’s a pain.”