Why are we dragging light bulbs back into the dark ages?

What if we told you there's a government regulation that drives innovation, saves you money, is good for the planet and dates to the Republican administration of George W. Bush?

Well, there is, and it covers something found in every household: light bulbs.

A 2007 law set efficiency standards for lighting that revolutionized the industry. Traditional incandescent bulbs were rendered nearly obsolete. Innovation spawned alternatives that save money and energy, including those light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs that can last 10 to 25 years.

When the standards went into effect beginning in 2012, many Americans were hesitant. Tea Party activists decried a loss of freedom to choose. 

Then good things happened. Prices fell. Consumers saved billions of dollars each year. And overall household electrical use in America actually declined  for the first time in decades, meaning less heat-trapping greenhouse gases are pumped into the atmosphere.

Of course, the Trump administration — which seemingly has never met an energy-saving government regulation it doesn't despise — could not sit idly by.

NEMA:Future shines bright for the light bulb revolution

Pushed by industry groups, the Energy Department said in February it would withdraw an Obama-era rule that would extend efficiency standards to categories of lighting not originally covered under the 2007 law.

These include reflector bulbs used in recessed lighting, candle-shaped bulbs for chandeliers and sconces, and globes for bathroom fixtures. All together, these constitute almost half of the nation's 6 billion light sockets.

To make matters worse, the Energy Department said it would likely balk at implementing even tougher efficiency standards than the 2007 law dictated. These tighter standards are scheduled to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2020.

The savings could be enormous, the equivalent of closing down 25 coal-burning power plants, says Noah Horowitz, a scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council.

An industry advocate, the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, claims that the Obama expansion was illegal and that, in any event, there has been enough progress in switching to more efficient lighting. "The tipping point has already occurred," NEMA general counsel Clark Silcox wrote in a February blog.

That's a little like a baseball team declaring victory during the seventh-inning stretch.

You can comment on Energy's plan to jettison expansion of the efficiency standards to other light bulb categories. Lawsuits are likely, and all of this will probably have to be sorted out in court.

This much is inescapable: The efficiency standards Congress dictated in 2007 are a formula that worked. As a visit to any hardware store confirms, they spawned the biggest change in bulb technology since the days of Thomas Edison. Why stand in the way of further progress?

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