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BULB Act's Rejection a Victory for Economy

The House's defeat today of bizarre legislation to turn back the clock on lighting efficiency was a victory for the economy, the environment, and common sense, Republicans for Environmental Protection said.

"We regret that Congress was forced to waste its time voting on a foolish bill that was premised entirely on false claims and ignorance," David Jenkins, REP Vice President for Government and Political Affairs, said.

"If enacted, Joe Barton's BULB Act would have wasted millions of dollars for lighting manufacturers and billions for consumers. And for what, to placate fears about a non-existent light bulb ban rumor that Barton himself created?"

"Members of Congress and talk radio entertainers who knowingly peddled this falsehood and misled consumers are a national embarrassment and ought to be ashamed of themselves," Jenkins added.

"We're pleased that 10 Republicans, including Reps. Charles Bass (NH), Brian Bilbray (CA), Tom Reed (NY), and Dave Reichert (WA) saw through the charade and voted to kill this nonsensical bill," Jenkins said.

"The repeal bill was based on a false premise, that the 2007 law setting efficiency standards for general-service, screw-in light bulbs bans incandescent bulbs and will force consumers to buy compact fluorescent lighting. The law does no such thing," Jim DiPeso, REP Vice President for Policy and Communication, explained.

These are the facts. Lighting manufacturers asked for the 2007 legislation in order to avoid a patchwork of state standards that would have driven up costs and created market confusion. It's the same reason Ronald Reagan signed into law legislation setting appliance efficiency standards during his presidency.

Lighting manufacturers have introduced new incandescent bulbs that look like conventional incandescent bulbs. The new bulbs are on store shelves right now. They produce the same quantity and quality of light, but use 28 to 33 percent less energy. Switching to more efficient light bulbs will save households $100 per year on their electric bills.

"Same light, lower costs, more consumer choices than ever. The repeal bill was a daft solution in search of a non-existent problem. We hope that Congress has seen the last of it and can turn its attention to more important matters," DiPeso said.