Traditional lightbulbs not going away ... yet

Ji zhe

Traditional light bulbs are not going away after all. Lawmakers on Capitol Hill struck a deal late Thursday to at least temporarily reverse earlier plans that would have effectively done away with the incandescent bulb that has been around since the 19th century.

President George W. Bush signed legislation in 2007 to raise efficiency standards on lightbulbs in 2012 to the point that the traditional bulb would have been rendered obsolete.

Speaker John Boehner vowed to overturn the higher efficiency standards when he took control of the House of Representatives in January and the deal struck Thursday follows through on that promise.

Republicans and Democrats added language to a must-pass annual spending bill that would essentially defund the Energy Department's ability to mandate the change, at least through the end of September, when the budget year ends.

It is unclear what will happen thereafter, as the new standards will remain on the books, even if there is no way for the government to enforce the new rules. The compromise language is expected to pass Congress when lawmakers vote on the broader budget compromise that keeps the government running on Friday or in the next few days.

Environmentalists say the higher standards are just common sense way to conserve energy, while many conservatives object to the government's interference with consumer choice.

[jimbom121]

Geez...even the industry wants to get rid of the odl lightbulbs. They lobbied for this back in 2007.

[occupy_cbs]

President George W. Bush signed legislation in 2007 to raise efficiency standards on lightbulbs in 2012 to the point that the traditional bulb would have been rendered obsolete.

Speaker John Boehner vowed to overturn the higher efficiency standards when he took control of the House of Representatives in January and the deal struck Thursday follows through on that promise.



What a boneheaded speaker of the house -- just so we use more energy and need more fossil fuels for boner's masters, since incandescent light bulbs are 95% inefficient.

[Well_You_Aint_Me]

Well, at least you have a choice.

Or do you just like being told what to do?

I CHOOSE to use CFL because of the energy savings and the life time advantages, BUT I also use regular bulbs on the front porch, attic, or other places where I don't want to wait for the light to warm up so I can see.

[occupy_cbs]

I'm so glad YOU seem to 'think' it's all about "choice" and not about being smarter and more efficient, rendering an obsolete and very inefficient bulb, just that -- OBSOLETE!

I seem to think it's just an arrogant and obstinate conservative ideology to make sure that we use more fossil fuels when we clearly do not have to!

I only have CFL's and an ever-increasing number of LED's in my home, and never replace bulbs.

[helmyelsaid]

must respect new rules,save energy.

[enlightenu]

Boehnhead

[canislupus16]

Hey, if a dumb conservative wants to p... away his money, have at it. We changed 14 "strategic" bulbs, i.e., 14 lights that are turned on for an appreciable amount of time every day, and just by changing those 14 incandescents to compact fluorescents (CFLs) results in a savings of $23 every month in our electric bill, based on the number of hours each is on and the electric rates in our area. May not seem like much but it adds up to $279 per year at TODAY's rates. If electric rates stayed constant for 10 years, which they won't, we would save $2,790. Those CFLs long ago paid for themselves, and last much longer than an incandescent bulb, so fewer burnouts, fewer changes, and fewer trips to the store to buy more bulbs. Our experience is that CFLs last even longer than advertised, like years.

This is just more proof that conservatives are dumber than rocks, and John Boehner is just oh so proud of himself for his "accomplishment." What a moron, and all the other idiots who voted for this. I'm as libertarian as the next person but this is just common sense. Now, all conservatives, drink the Kool-Aid. You have to have stock in an electric utility to not want to change to CFLs.

[jimbom121]

ummm, people don't use lightbulbs, they use fireplaces.

And CFLs have less mercury than batteries or thermometers.

[afmcalax]

Once again the Republicans have America racing back to the 1950s. We used to lead the world in embracing change and new technologies; now we act like scared little children afraid to grasp the future. The Republican Party should just rename themselves as Neanderthals.