When the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007 became law in December of that year, after being signed by then-president George W. Bush, it didn't cause much controversy at the time. The bill was very multi-purpose, raising auto fuel economy standards, establishing national standards for generating electricity from renewable energy sources and setting new standards for energy-efficient appliances and energy use in federal buildings. It mandates an increase in biofuel development and use and created tax incentives to promote energy efficiency and the use of renewable fuels. Finally, it made provisions to train more workers for “green” jobs.
Oh, yes...and it raised the mandatory efficiency standards on light bulbs – standards that most of today's incandescent bulbs cannot meet in their present form – leading to an eventual phasing out of the old-fashioned incandescent bulb in favor of CFL (compact fluorescent bulbs), LED light bulbs, standard fluorescents and hybrid bulbs.
Specifically, consumers will soon no longer be able to buy traditional 100-watt incandescent bulbs. By 2014, 75-, 60- and 40-watt bulbs will also disappear from the marketplace. By 2020, light bulbs will need to be twice as efficient as they are today.
Lately, though, the new light bulb rules have been leading to some pretty incandescent rage. After a lot of drama about “who does the government think it is telling us what kinds of light bulbs we can and can't buy?” the U.S. House of Representatives – which has been under Republican control since 2010 – managed to throw together a bill that would repeal the new federal light bulb standards, despite the fact that a president from their own party passed those standards.
Yesterday, the bill to repeal the light bulb standards was killed when it failed to muster a two-third majority vote.
The supporters of the repeal are none too pleased today. The New York Times quoted Joe Barton, the Republican House member who proposed the bill, as kvetching, “The federal government has crept so deep into our lives that federal agencies now determine what kind of light bulbs the American people are allowed to purchase.”
Geez...next thing you know, the government will be able to mandate what kind of fuel efficiency standards our cars must have. Oh, wait...
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Tracey Schelmetic is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of Tracey's articles, please visit her columnist page.Edited by
Jennifer Russell
