New Biden Plan Seeks To Phase Out Incandescent Light Bulbs By Next Year

The Department of Energy, alongside Old Uncle Joe, is seeking the phasing out of traditional incandescent light bulbs originally created by Thomas Edison, and they also want the sale of such bulbs to be halted by next year.

This past Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) crafted a pair of new rules: the first changes the definition of general service lamps while the second “implements the minimum standard of 45 lumens per watt for light bulbs that meet the revised definition,” stated officials with the DOE.

“The Department of Energy estimates last as much as 50 times as long as incandescent bulbs,” stated a report from The New York Times, going on to admit, “One Michigan study, for instance, found that not only were LED bulbs less available in poorer areas, they also tended to cost on average $2.50 more per bulb than in wealthier communities.”

Jennifer M. Granholm, the U.S. Secretary of Energy, also boasted, “The lighting industry is already embracing more energy efficient products, and this measure will accelerate progress to deliver the best products to American consumers and build a better and brighter future.”

“The new definition issued today will become effective 60 days after publication in the Federal Register, while the implementation of the Congressional efficacy standard will become effective 75 days after publication in the Federal Register,” stated officials with the DOE, going on to state that new enforcement policy will include “a period of enforcement leniency and a period of progressive enforcement with an emphasis on transitioning production first.”

The DOE while under the previous Trump administration, which sought to slow this move towards the shut down of incandescent light bulbs, highlighted back in 2019:

When evaluating and establishing energy conservation standards, DOE divides covered products into product classes by the type of energy used or by capacity or other performance-related features that justify differing standards. In making a determination whether a performance-related feature justifies a different standard, DOE must consider such factors as the utility of the feature to the consumer and other factors that DOE determines are appropriate.

In determining whether amended standards are needed, DOE must consider whether such action would result in significant energy savings.  … EPCA requires DOE to consider the savings in operating costs throughout the estimated average life of the covered product compared to any increase in the price of the covered product that is likely to result from a standard…. EPCA creates a rebuttable presumption that an energy conservation standard is economically justified if the additional cost to the consumer of a product that meets the standard is less than three times the value of the first year’s energy savings resulting from the standard, as calculated under the applicable DOE test procedure.

The DOE under Trump cited those who claimed that in comparison with CFLs and LED lamps, the incandescent lamp required needed far fewer materials. that they obtained a 100% CRI, and that they were easy to use in control systems, all the while making claims that LEDs could cause flicker, mercury, and electromagnetic wave radiation issues (e.g., UV light).

The Trump DOE also cited sever people who agreed with their opinion that the LED lamps produce brightness, flicker, and emittance of blue light wavelengths that could cause eye damage, loss of sleep, and headaches among other health issues.

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