Update (7/13): The BULB Act did not pass in the House of Representatives. The vote was 233 in favor of the repeal and 193 opposed. Since that didn’t constitute a two-thirds majority, it did not go on to the Senate.
As the incandescent phase out approaches, with today’s standard 100W light bulb set to face new efficiency standards beginning in January 2012, a Republican-sponsored bill is seeking to halt the changing standards before they even happen.
The repeal bill, called the Better Use of Light Bulbs Act, H.R. 2417 (BULB Act), would eliminate the portion of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA 2007) that requires incandescent light bulbs to be 25 to 30 percent more efficient.
Supporters of the BULB Act say that mandating efficiency standards in light bulbs will limit consumer choice and result in unnecessary government intervention.
Perhaps supporters of the BULB Act have not heard about the many replacement options for inefficient incandescent light bulbs? Or the fact that this legislation will save U.S. households a great deal of money in energy costs (about $15.8 billion per year)?
The U.S. House of Representatives was expected to vote yesterday on the repeal bill, but the vote has been delayed until at least today.
A two-thirds majority vote will be required for the repeal bill to continue on to the Senate.