In 2007, Congress passed a law requiring light bulbs to be more efficient. It set goals of 25 to 30 greater efficiency by 2012, and additional targets by 2014. It was an eminently sensible step, given that newer bulbs have the ability to provide the same light for significantly less energy. In an era of dwindling energy resources and rising prices, the chance to essentially get "something for nothing," energy savings for the same light output, was quite simply, a no-brainer.
And now, right on cue, Republicans in Congress are trying to repeal it:
Sen. Mike Enzi has a dim view of a federal law requiring light bulbs to be more efficient. The Wyoming Republican is pushing a bill to repeal the 2007 law and give consumers the choice to buy any light bulbs they want. "Government doesn't need to be in the business of telling people what light bulb they have to use," Enzi said.
Twenty-seven senators – all Republicans – support the bill, but many Democrats and consumer groups say the plan is not so bright. They call it a step backward and compare it to trading in a fuel-efficient hybrid car for a gas-guzzling SUV.
Enzi's bill, and related measures in the House, "would push aside innovation, derail plans for new job-creating lighting factories and eliminate an estimated $10 billion in annual energy costs savings – taking as much as $200 per year out of the checkbooks of every U.S. household," said Bob Keefe, a spokesman for the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental group that backs the 2007 law.
It's hard to express just how asinine this is. These newer lights provide the same light and same quality of light as their traditional energy-sucking counterparts. Further, the law doesn't even ban the old-fashioned bulbs, it simply requires greater efficiency.
At a time when consumers are already feeling the pinch of rising gas and energy prices, the idea of taking a step that will increase energy consumption with no benefit is frankly ludicrous.
Or to put it more directly... "Watt the ****?"
Send a message today. Tell Congress to keep the 2007 law, and fight back against this truly "dim" proposal to turn back the clock, waste energy, and... well, be incredibly stupid.