Posted on 12/16/2011 10:33:57 AM PST by SeekAndFind
A rider attached to the omnibus spending bill that will keep the government running through September 30 of next year contains language that would prevent the EPA from enforcing the ban on incandescent light bulbs.
But this is only a short respite, as this Politico article explains:
DOE's light bulb rules - authorized under a 2007 energy law authored signed by President George W. Bush - would start going into effect Jan. 1. The rider will prevent DOE from implementing the rules through Sept. 30.
But Democrats said they could claim a "compromise" by adding language to the omnibus that requires DOE grant recipients greater than $1 million to certify they will upgrade the efficiency of their facilities by replacing any lighting to meet or exceed the 2007 energy law's standards.
Fueled by conservative talk radio, Republicans made the last-ditch attempt to stop federal regulations from making their way into every Americans' living room.
"There are just some issues that just grab the public's attention. This is one of them," said Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.). "It's going to be dealt with in this legislation once and for all."
After giving up in recent weeks on dozens of other riders aimed at stopping EPA rules because of opposition from Senate Democrats and the White House, Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) told POLITICO that the light bulb rider was "going to be in there."
Any money saved in lower energy usage would be offset by massive costs for cleaning up and disposing of broken or burned out flourescents. And the energy savings figures are coming under attack as far too optimistic. Apparently, the new bulbs don't last as long as advertised in many cases, and because they are dimmer than the incandescent bulbs, more of them must be used to achieve the same
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
Light bulbs should never have been a government issue to begin.
One more reason to s***-can the DOE.
Good 9 more months to stock up on 100W bulbs. I have about 300 saved up, now I can relax and but them 12 at a time. I will have the local market cornered.
well whoo-freakin whoo.
They caved on each and every other policy issue but by Gawd we showed ‘em on the light bulbs....
AFTER the last plant closed. AFTER we are now going to importing most all bulbs incandescent or not.
Yessir...BIG VICTORY.
What they hail are they thinking up there?
Eventually, it will become a dead issue as LED bulbs (with the advantages of both types) come onto the market.
"POLITICS IS GREAT BECAUSE IT GIVES THE MENTALLY UNSTABLE GAINFUL EMPLOYMENT!"
It's no repeal, just "defunding" and with all US manufacturers out of this business, it's absolutely meaningless and just politics.
No, they did not. They are going to push Obama into allowing Keystone...and that's a biggie.
Besides, the light bulb thing is emblematic of the whole EPA-bully dynamic...make the public buy stuff that is supposed to be environmentally friendly but in reality is a sham.
I don't mind GE losing big on this one. Hope more is to follow.
The keystone issue is in the social security give away.
There were plenty of epa issues in THIS bill that they caved on.
“Many provisions sought by House Republicans were dropped from the bill before its passage, and Democrats blocked a series of GOP assaults on Environmental Protection Agency regulations, though the agency’s budget absorbed a cut of more than 3 percent.” A cut of 3 whole percent is an increase of 4% if i understand zero based budgeting and if I am incorrect...3%? whoopty damn doo.
In short the dumbles played the pubbies again.
We got light bulbs.
Shut it down if you must to make people listen...the HOUSE is the money place. Enough of this nonsense that they are only 1/3rd of the government...they are 50%! If it doesn’t pass there it doesn’t pass period!
And you keep sending the bills until they do pass and tell CNN everyday to suck eggs. Who listens to dingy harry? Who listens to zero? Their approval ratings are close to nothing.
Put it in terms the people can understand like: we saved you light bulbs by cutting the epa off at the knees. Not ‘We temporarily saved the light bulb!!”
We have simply got to be better at this than they are or we are doomed. If we aren’t, after 2012 we might all be looking at other “solutions”.
Keystone was a part of the negotiations on this bill.
It will shaft the enviros. We are never going to win any large war on the EPA with a far-left President...that's la-la land.
But I don't mind the current tactics of winning victories like Keystone which undermines his support, setting us up for future victories.
True...
If Thomas Edison had the EPA to deal with, he would have said, "sorry I'll not be making the bulb. These people in the EPA are crazy!"
RE: Eventually, it will become a dead issue as LED bulbs (with the advantages of both types) come onto the market.
And how much would they cost?
Given the usual trends in electronic, I expect they’ll be dirt cheap within a few years.
We have not won keystone yet...I DO hope they stand strong and demand it....
The good news is that I won’t have to buy a light bulb for about 30 years. The bad news is that I’m storing about 30 years worth of light bulbs.
Maybe it's just me, but the light from LEDs bothers me far more than the light from florescents. Overall, I'm more comfortable with incandescents, but florescents do not really bother me other than the long warm-up time.
LEDs are good maybe for a pocket flash light, but for whole-house lighting, I'm not so sure. It is really a harsh light, IMHO.
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