Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Hold The Spaghetti...

...Light Bulbs


(Photo: James Jordan/Flickr)

First they're on...then they're off...

The federal government could avoid this type of confusion and waste if the bureaucrats in it would just do their job and stop trying to ruin run our lives.
Via:  The New American
House Approves Measure to Stall Light-Bulb Efficiency Standards
Written by   (June 7, 2012)
House Republicans passed two amendments on a spending bill Tuesday that would bar the federal government from imposing light bulb standards that critics say are too meddlesome. Passed through a voice vote, the provision would amend the Energy and Water spending bill for 2013 by preventing the Energy Department from spending money to enforce bulb efficiency regulations that were established in a law passed during the Bush administration.
Under the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, the phase-out was slated to commence in January 2012, which banned the sale of all 100-watt bulbs, as well as the sale of all 75-watt bulbs by July 2013. But a spending bill passed last December stalled the mandate until this October.
The discussion over energy-efficient light bulbs became especially contentious late last year, as the January 1 deadline neared. Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said the December provision showed that Congress is becoming more aware of the American people’s desires. “We heard the message loud and clear,” the Congressman affirmed. “Americans don’t want government standards determining how they light their homes.”
Tuesday’s amendment, sponsored by Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Texas), says the federal government has no authority to mandate the use of certain light bulbs. “We shouldn’t be making these decisions for the American people,” Burgess said Tuesday on the House floor. “People are sick of the government treading where it just doesn’t belong.”
“The law couldn’t be enforced,” he added in an interview. “We don’t need no stinkin’ badges. We’re the energy police.”
Despite its swift passage, the language in the amendment ignited a brief debate in which Rep. Pete Visclosky (D-Ind.) said the way it read could imperil U.S. manufacturers that have already doled out millions of dollars to comply with the standards. "The only benefit to this amendment is to allow foreign manufacturers who may not feel a similar obligation to export noncompliant light bulbs that will not only harm the investments made by U.S. companies but place at risk U.S. manufacturing jobs associated with making compliant bulbs," Visclosky contended.  
Read more...
How many of you have been stocking up on regular light bulbs in anticipation of the ban?  
Here's a photo of some of our stash.


9 comments:

  1. We have a light bulb stash, too, and most of them were already made elsewhere, not in America (unfortunately).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It would be good to see "Made in America" more often.

      Delete
  2. That stash looks quite similar to ours... Publix had them on buy one, get one free about six months ago... We were hoping to get rich on the "black market"...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's not too late to get rich. Once the bill get to the Senate and/or Obama, it'll be toast.

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    2. We're about equal on our "stimulating the economy by buying light bulbs from China" strategy. :)

      Delete
  3. Oh, I'll bet we've got you beat on toidy paper though :) No three [Chinese] seashells for us!

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  4. Well plenty hoarding them I'd say!
    All light bulbs have advantages, for different use in different locations.
    Incandescents aren't bad just for being "old" - as seen from their popularity.
    Besides, banning them hardly saves society energy overall, as referenced below with Dept of Energy stats

    Even if certain light bulbs – or Cars, Buildings, Washing Machines etc – had
    to be targeted to save energy, market competition or even taxation policies are more relevant.
    (on liberal ideology taxation can pay for price lowering subsidies on alternatives as well as giving Govmt income so people "not just hit by taxes" - hello California - so regulation bans are wrong regardless of ideology)

    Both alternative policies keep choice, and especially market competition is in addition better at promoting innovation and saving more energy overall,
    as referenced
    http://freedomlightbulb.org/

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  5. Haha, I must be the only conservative using LEDS. I have them all over my house because I think their cool, not because the government wants me to use them.

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  6. Btw manufacturers sought and welcomed the ban on profit motives....

    a ban on simple safe bright popular bulbs that unfortunately are also cheap and patent expired....
    hence a happy worldwide push by Philips, Osram UN and World Bank in developing countries for everyone to use patented complex expensive bulbs... made by Philips and Osram.

    As in recent Rio conference decision June 2012

    their argument =
    http://www.enlighten-initiative.org/portal/Portals/26107/documents/Resources/Press%20Release%20Enlighten%20Rio.pdf

    counter argument =
    Philips, Osram, the UN and the World Bank:
    How we will en.lighten the World in 2012


    A bit like banning Penicillin for Africa, so they have to buy patented complex expensive alternatives,
    - especially since the overall society energy savings don't hold up as previously linked

    ReplyDelete

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