Energy agency repeals rules on efficiency of light bulbs

President Donald Trump's administration is rolling back rules that expanded energy-use requirements to some of the most commonly used light bulbs.

The Energy Department made public a final rule Wednesday that withdrew a requirement that light bulbs commonly used in recessed lighting, track lighting, bathroom vanities and decorative fixtures meet the same energy-efficiency standards that effectively phased out the traditional incandescent bulb.

The Energy Department said the light bulb standards had been expanded under President Barack Obama "in a manner that is not consistent with the best reading of the statute." The agency said its change "does not prevent consumers from buying the lamps they desire."

The Obama-era standards, which had been scheduled to take effect in January, applied to roughly half of the 6 billion light bulbs in use today, and they would save consumers billions of dollars in energy costs and avoid millions of tons in carbon dioxide emissions, according to environmental groups backing the rules.

"What's saved is not worth it, for the little they save," Trump told reporters at the White House on Wednesday. He added that the efforts consumers had to go through and the cost also weren't worth the savings.

Pear-shaped models, the most commonly used kind, were the first to undergo government-mandated transition in the early 2010s. LED lights are now the dominant player for those styles of lamps. LED lights, once many times more expensive than incandescent bulbs, have dropped in price and can often be found for less than $2 each.

Those now-entrenched efficiency standards remain in place, though the Energy Department's latest action is also seeking to postpone even tougher standards for the pear-shaped bulbs.

The Energy Department's changes are likely to be challenged in court.

"We will explore all options, including litigation, to stop this completely misguided and unlawful action," Noah Horowitz, director of the Center for Energy Efficiency Standards at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said last week in anticipation of the move.

"It makes zero sense to eliminate energy-saving light bulb standards that will save households money on electricity bills and cut climate change emissions by reducing the amount of coal and gas burned in power plants," said Andrew deLaski, executive director of the Appliance Standards Awareness Project.

Opponents of the Obama-era standards include the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, whose members include General Electric Co., Osram Sylvania Inc. and Signify NV. They said such rules would risk American jobs and consumer choice.

The move to expand the light bulb standards was finalized in the waning days of the Obama administration and stems from energy legislation that was passed in 2007 and signed into law by President George W. Bush. That law, which has led to a dramatic increase in the use of LED light bulbs, includes a requirement that the Energy Department decide whether to develop stricter light bulb standards for 2020.

The department announced in the plan made public Wednesday that it has determined those rules don't need to be changed.

In a statement, Shaylyn Hynes, a spokeswoman for the Department of Energy, said the 2007 law requires the department to issue standards "only when doing so would be economically justified. These standards are not."

"This action," she said, "will ensure that the choice of how to light homes and businesses is left to the American people, not the federal government."

The gradual shift toward more efficient light bulbs is one of the success stories in the efforts to reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. "U.S. household energy consumption is down 6% since 2010, and this is due in part to the increase in the use of energy-efficient lighting," said Lucas Davis, a professor in the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley.

While some consumers have complained about the light quality and durability of compact fluorescent bulbs, the market has welcomed LED bulbs, which can have a richer light spectrum and can last for many years. But the companies that manufacture light bulbs have pushed against the regulatory shift requiring more efficient ones.

Information for this article was contributed by Ari Natter and Josh Wingrove of Bloomberg News, by Tom Benning of The Dallas Morning News and by John Schwartz of The New York Times.

Business on 09/05/2019

Upcoming Events