Spending bill blocks light bulb standards
After a year and a half of pathetic posturing in support of political superstitions and myths held by the extreme fringes of their party, the GOP ends the year with another grandly abysmal stand for nothing.
GOP and Democratic sources tell POLITICO the final omnibus bill includes a rider defunding the Energy Department’s standards for traditional incandescent light bulbs to be 30 percent more energy efficient.
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.”
Just to repeat what you’ve seen at LGF in past articles - the replacement bulbs use the Halogen Cycle to produce the same light with less energy, and the manufacturers are already moving that way. The delay in the implementation of the rules really doesn’t do much of anything, but perennial oil company shill Joe Barton thinks it’s important for his constituents to use more rather than less energy.