Congress overturns incandescent light bulb ban

I've found the CFL's burn out more quickly than the incandescent bulbs in most cases. I switched to LED's and they are lasting forever. The light's not as good though.

Have a bunch that are 9 yrs. here, so I can't say yet. But I do have one burned out in dining room. Only lasted about 5 yrs. I'm toying with the idea of replacing all of mine in 2017. Then they should last until I'm dead and some other poor sucker will have to climb that 10 ft. ladder in the living room!

Given that the only domestic manufacturer of those incandescent bulbs closed their factory a year ago, putting a fair number of workers on the rolls of the unemployed in the process, as a result of the original legislation, all that the current reprieve does is increase the amount of stuff we will now be importing from foreign shores.

This is cold comfort for the workers at GE’s Winchester, Va., plant. Workers at the plant, where jobs have paid as much as $30 an hour, worry that they will be unable to find new positions. Many express grievances with the government. Despite promises that the move to green technologies would result in more manufacturing jobs, the government has allowed most of the contracts to go overseas. In 2007, the government passed legislation that would essentially ban incandescent light bulbs by 2014 while greatly decreasing domestic energy costs and greenhouse gases. But when the cost of creating the CFLs proved cheaper abroad, replacement positions were not available.

http://www.mnn.com/green-tech/gadgets-e ... lbs-closes

PrintSmith wrote: Given that the only domestic manufacturer of those incandescent bulbs closed their factory a year ago, putting a fair number of workers on the rolls of the unemployed in the process, as a result of the original legislation, all that the current reprieve does is increase the amount of stuff we will now be importing from foreign shores.

This is cold comfort for the workers at GE’s Winchester, Va., plant. Workers at the plant, where jobs have paid as much as $30 an hour, worry that they will be unable to find new positions. Many express grievances with the government. Despite promises that the move to green technologies would result in more manufacturing jobs, the government has allowed most of the contracts to go overseas. In 2007, the government passed legislation that would essentially ban incandescent light bulbs by 2014 while greatly decreasing domestic energy costs and greenhouse gases. But when the cost of creating the CFLs proved cheaper abroad, replacement positions were not available.

http://www.mnn.com/green-tech/gadgets-e ... lbs-closes

It was Bush's fault.

The Liberals GOP Twin wrote:

Rockdoc Franz wrote: Just another example of where government was trying to dictate how you need to live your life. Thank goodness that this issue has temporarily fallen by the way side. If it were to become law, can you envision its enforcement? Law officers have a right to come into your house whenever the wish to see if your lights meet federal legislated standards.

No kidding... that would have been a liberals ultimate wet dream!

Ummmm. In the very Liberal Park County, which love for some reason to think it is Conservative, there are close to a dozen inspections of your home by an extremely unforgiving local police force before you can use it. They also inspect the porta potti and very carefully. I know of people that have been living in a tent for years because they said the County forced them to rip down the home they already had because it was built decades ago with no permit. Let's see, the "local conservatives" also recently enacted laws with stiff daily penalties for not having the right kind of trash can or even having peeling paint on your home ($50/day)...you also cannot legally allow anyone off of your property to see the actual light bulbs lighting your property, they must be sheilded. I think they also outlawed dog barking in your home. I guess the new "Conservative" is uber liberal. I have lived all over this great country, mostly in liberal places, and none have regs and enforcement as strict and AS INCONSIDERATE and AS INSULTING as Park County BD, though I have only lived in rural places. They could learn from the Environmental Health people (septic inpsectors) on how to treat citizens. EH is respectful and reasonable, and they are actually protecting something that Could hurt the nighbor, unlike most homes. But let's talk about light bulb regs like they are a big deal. I agree with folks here, but if it is about the fed invading your home, you are going to have to ask the county to vacate or there will be no room for the fed, but perhaps we could just fix that with another law.

What's this stuff about an oppressive national govt....it's the locals that want in your home to approve it or kick you out...and they all have an R after their names on the ballots. "Oh, I'm sorry, you are not zoned for a shed in that location, in addition that is where they are going to put the parking lot for the next gas rig, so, sorry, denied, that will be $250 for our Service" I mean heck, I don't think you can be called conservative if you are behind these inpections and other people zoning your land...designing your rights as they go along. The places I have lived with the highest quality houses and communities have had no zoning or codes...and then Park has them and they make neighborhoods look like suburbia and the quality of contruction locally is piss poor....and then the stuff that generally people don't want, like gas wells, happen anyway and all the restrictions end up on meaningless activities within your home and on your land.

The ban was only defunded. The ban will only be unenforceable, but still the law. We need to elect conservatives into Congress, Senate, and Oval Office so that the ban can be repealed.

Arlen, you are right. I think that is the bigger story here, legislating by de-funding. Just mucks things up and creates more business uncertainty IMO. Just like the tax credits and incentives that have to be renewed all the time. The wind power industry is bracing for that right now as an example.

So if you are a light bulb manufacturer, what do you plan for in another year from now? Businesses need some idea of future regulations.

this was last minute shenanigans for the camera. How can ANYONE think that defunding the enforcment 2 friggin' weeks before it goes into the effect would have ANY affect on manufacturers? I did not read where they were closing down, Printsmith, just retooling and I think that is a good thing. We have to start thinking AHEAD and MODERNIZING our manufacturing if we want to ever compete again. Staying the course = obsolescence = irrelevance

But what many Republicans are celebrating as a win for individuals’ light-bulb-choosing freedom will probably not save the energy-guzzling bulbs from disappearing off store shelves.

“The industry has moved on,” said Larry Lauck, a spokesman for the American Lighting Association.

Lauck said U.S. light bulb manufacturers have already “retooled” their production lines to build more efficient bulbs, he said.

Joseph Higbee, a spokesman for the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, which represents 95 percent of U.S. light bulb manufacturers, said even if the Department of Energy does not have the funding to enforce the energy efficiency standards, manufacturers are not going to retro-fit their assembly lines to produce the traditional, less-efficient bulbs.

Wily Fox aka Angela wrote: this was last minute shenanigans for the camera. How can ANYONE think that defunding the enforcment 2 friggin' weeks before it goes into the effect would have ANY affect on manufacturers? I did not read where they were closing down, Printsmith, just retooling and I think that is a good thing. We have to start thinking AHEAD and MODERNIZING our manufacturing if we want to ever compete again. Staying the course = obsolescence = irrelevance

But what many Republicans are celebrating as a win for individuals’ light-bulb-choosing freedom will probably not save the energy-guzzling bulbs from disappearing off store shelves.

“The industry has moved on,” said Larry Lauck, a spokesman for the American Lighting Association.

Lauck said U.S. light bulb manufacturers have already “retooled” their production lines to build more efficient bulbs, he said.

Joseph Higbee, a spokesman for the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, which represents 95 percent of U.S. light bulb manufacturers, said even if the Department of Energy does not have the funding to enforce the energy efficiency standards, manufacturers are not going to retro-fit their assembly lines to produce the traditional, less-efficient bulbs.

Why should my government tell me what lightbulb to use? Why should they control me in any such manner? Only small people desire to contol others. Wives do not like for the husband to be a "controller". Think about it.

Wily Fox aka Angela wrote: We have to start thinking AHEAD and MODERNIZING our manufacturing if we want to ever compete again.

You mean the federal government has to start thinking for private businesses and force them to think ahead and modernize? First off Edison... how were we loosing our competitive edge in manufacturing light bulbs? Can you point me to an article or an analysis that we were loosing ground in the light bulb business? Was there some storm of alternative light sources that were going to swallow up the 100 watt light bulb industry?

Please link me to some information that upholds your statement above. Show me how we were trailing behind... or did you just make this up?