Light Bulb Phase Out Triggers Debate

Amusing as it may sound, the debate over the common light bulb in the United States is pretty intense, even rivalling the fiery discussions over financial reform and healthcare—two key issues which Republicans and Democrats just can’t seem to agree on. The common light bulb has become yet another political lightning rod in the halls of Congress. Despite ongoing unrest about the economy and the events in the Middle East, the controversial mandate that seeks to phase out inefficient light bulbs by 2014 has not escaped the wrath of the Tea Party and Republican lawmakers.

Strangely enough, the government’s new standards on lighting technology were actually the result of a bipartisan effort, part of an energy-conservation bill passed in 2007 under the Bush administration. The goal of the mandates is simple: traditional incandescent light bulbs waste more than a third of the energy they consume to generate heat. That wire, or filament, you see inside the bulb actually needs to be heated to glow and produce light—a process that is not only inefficient, but one that kills the bulb in a relatively short period of time.

Despite the proven benefits of using newer lighting solutions like CFLs and LED light bulbs, a group of Republican Senators and Congressmen are voicing opposition against the government mandate, saying that it’s nothing but another act of government intrusion. U.S. Representative Michele Bachmann has even worked on legislation to completely repeal the new standards under her new bill, the “Light Bulb Freedom of Choice Act.”

The government mandate’s criticism mainly revolves around government intrusion and the harmful effects of mercury found in CFLs. Conservationists and lawmakers who support the bill however, point out that manufacturers are not being forced to cease production of incandescent bulbs, but instead, are required to improve the technology used in manufacturing them.

By: Jordan Esmond

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Despite the proven benefits of using newer lighting solutions like CFLs and LED light bulbs, a group of Republican Senators and Congressmen are voicing opposition against the government mandate, saying that it’s nothing but another act of government intrusion.