While the tea party ideologues may claim a victory in their push for less government intrusion in the lives of American citizens, it’s a shallow victory at best.
Bear in mind: They failed in earlier bids to completely roll back the energy-efficiency standards that were approved by Congress in 2007 and signed into law by then-President George W. Bush.
All they’ve managed to do is strip the Energy Department of enforcement funds for the next fiscal year, creating a competitive disadvantage for those who comply with the law and leaving enforcement up to the states.
Meanwhile, manufacturers continue to produce a wide variety of light bulbs – incandescent, fluorescent, light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and others – that are more efficient than older bulbs and meet the new energy-efficiency standards that go into effect Jan. 1.
The lighting industry has been working on the lighting switch for four years and has invested million of dollars to expand and retrofit their plants and product lines. The industry didn’t support last week’s legislation.
The new lights cost more, but they last so much longer and pay for themselves several times over.
When the new lighting standards are fully implemented, the nation’s power bill is expected to drop by about $12.5 billion a year. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, that’s an amount equal to the yearly electric bill of all the homes in Texas.
The energy conservation is equal to the production of 30 fossil-fueled power plants, which won’t have to be built. That translates into public health and environmental benefits from fewer emissions of greenhouse gases and other air pollutants.
Sure, conservative members of Congress can claim a little anti-government victory last week. But all they did was add regulatory uncertainty to new lighting standards that are moving ahead regardless.
