UPDATE 2: 12/16/11 9AMPST It appears early reports were wrong, junkscience.com now reports that
The deal agreed to in Congress merely deprives the Department oF Energy the funds to enforce the ban for 2012. The ban is still on the books — so the DOE may very well get the money next year or the year after or who knows when.
Original post follows:
Blogging this from my cellphone.
Reports coming in from my sources say it was suspended tonight, more later.
UPDATE: from Politico –
The shutdown-averting budget bill will block federal light bulb efficiency standards, giving a win to House Republicans fighting the so-called ban on incandescent light bulbs.
GOP and Democratic sources tell POLITICO the final omnibus bill includes a rider defunding the Energy Department’s standards for traditional incandescent light bulbs to be 30 percent more energy efficient.
From The Hill –
Omnibus spending legislation greenlighted by House and Senate negotiators Thursday night blocks Energy Department light bulb efficiency standards that have come under fire from conservatives in recent months.
The legislation, which would avert a government shutdown, prevents funding from being used for the implementation of certain Energy Department light bulb standards. The standards would begin phasing in next year.
h/t to Steve Milloy at junkscience.com
patvann;
I have become jaded to the point of curmudgeon, and I still want them all to be sent to the South Pole for 10 years.>>>
Well you and I are of about the same vintage, so I can understand your perspective. But the South Pole? 10 years with the penguins? Seems a bit nasty to me. What did the penguins do to deserve that?
I was thinking more like the north pole. Ten years is probably way more than enough though. One year ought to do it. Black uniforms though. Wouldn’t want to lose them amidst all those white ice flows, white snow, white polar bears….
They haven’t repealed the ban, they have blocked any enforcement of the ban, but it is still against the law.
http://www.conservativeblog.org/amyridenour/2011/12/16/opponents-of-light-bulb-ban-win-a-big-round-but-battle-far-f.html
When were the incandescent lamps actually banned in the US?
Anyone teach me please.
Toykoboy, The legislation banning sale of the most common incandescents in the US was adopted in 2007 as part of a massive bi-partisan energy bill that was signed into law by President Bush. The legislation received a lot of attention at that time, but almost none of it was on the part about banning common incandescent bulbs. The ban was to start going into effect on 1/1/12 with standards continuing to tighten until 2020. At this point the ban still exists but enforcement is delayed until 1/1/13 unless further legislative action is taken.
There are still U.S. light bulb companies. I bought a few at Menards. They are more expensive, but much better than the crap coming from China.
There were bulbs exempt from the ban (long life etc.), so the last companies standing will likely be able to do very well.
Personally I absolutely detest CFL’s. I’ve yet to have one last as long as advertised, and they are completely useless for porch lights.
The legislation, which would avert a government shutdown, prevents funding from being used for the implementation of certain Energy Department light bulb standards.>>>
OK, now I really am confused, and I’m not cracking jokes here. They enacted a law, and then they enacted another law that says they can’t spend any money enforcing the first law? But the first law is still the law? So…if you buy incadescent bulbs, you are breaking the law, but if they arrest you for it, THEY are breaking the law. Does this web of ridiculosis allow the person arrested for buying an incadescent bulb make a citizens arrest of the officer arresting them for buying the incadescent bulb?
Oooh…what about a citizens arrest of someone for buying an incandescent bulb? Would that be counted as no cost enforcement? I can just hear Mann and Hansen et al getting all excited at the prospect. Now here’s the funny part (you knew I couldn’t write a post this long without actually cracking a joke, right?)
The think is to get Mann and Hansen all wound up making citizen’s arrests of people left right and centre. As soon as they make an arrest during business hours, that’s when we remind them they are public employees and so it is illegal for them to be making arrests while on government salary. Carefull with Mann though. I hear he’s got a wicked curve on his hockey stick and he knows how to use it.
ROTFL !! I’ll be d.mned. Congress get’s my jokes, and even acts on them, and in 24 hour turn around! That’s got to be a record. There may yet be hope.
Too bad tallbloke lives in the UK though. They’re returning his computers politely alright but it seems he forgot to replace the incandescents in the bathrooms. Bummer! First offense. The UK Green Police say he’ll get off with a few days of community service… digging through other people’s trash for them. /sarc
too bad we cant ban the presence of dim bulbs in various branches of government.
Amy Ridenour says: December 15, 2011 at 9:01 pm
“Toykoboy, …………. The ban was to start going into effect on 1/1/12 with standards continuing to tighten until 2020. At this point the ban still exists but enforcement is delayed until 1/1/13 unless further legislative action is taken.”
Thanks Amy. So at present incandescents are not actually banned, and you can buy them on the market?
And this time, if Senate & Obama give OK to the “suspension”, the actual “ban” is to be delayed until 1/1/13?
My brain cells are still heavily entangled.
Good thing I decided not to get involved in tungsten futures!
I hate to ask a stupid question but how many incadescent light bulb manufacturing facilities are there currently in the continental United States?
Toykoboy, correct. However we are talking only about a federal ban here. California passed a state law that adopts each step of the federal ban one year ahead of the feds. So no dubt some Californians are looking at the wording of their law now that the feds have kept the ban but banned enforcement for a year.
Syncrodox, I have seen mainstream news media reports saying the last standard incandescent bulb factory (the bulbs subject to the ban, not other incandescents) in the US has closed. I have not verified this independently so this is a for-what-its-worth.
“Amy Ridenour says: December 15, 2011 at 9:37 pm”
Thanks again Amy. I hope I’ve grasped your situation.
I’ve never bought LED lamps, which are >10-fold more expensive, and which eco-freaks and lamp industry have loudly recommended here in Japan.
Thanx Amy, I had heard the same and will seek confirmation…
Great news if true……..
I feel rather foolish at how excited I am over this little “victory”. But I really hate those CFL bulbs!!!!
Let people decide what kind of bulbs they want.
The alleged efficiency is vastly over rated. Most parts of the US, especially where I live, we heat our homes with gas 8 months a year. The “wasted” energy from the bulbs is not wasted, but heats the house, so less gas is burned. For us, most or our power in IL comes from nuclear, so less CO2, how’s that for unintended consequences!
Combined with the aesthetic deficiencies of the CFL and the mercury hazards, it just does not make sense to restrict incandescent bulbs. For those in the hot parts of the country, where the bulb heat must be removed at the cost of more electrical power for air conditioning, it may make sense, but in a free country, people can make their own decisions.
One right of choice – is restored……(still a long way to go)
California passed a state law that adopts each step of the federal ban one year ahead of the feds.
californian (n.) criminally insane; the state of mind that makes legal the sellers of marijuana, but makes criminal the sellers of light bulbs.
Usage:He shot that woman Tate down in cold blood in her own house, but he is going to plead innocent due to californian insanity.
How many Californians does it take to screw the light bulb?
I’ve got a shelf full of 100W bulbs – but I aint gonna get rid of them cus the loonies may make a comeback.
If they do, I hope they don’t seize WUWT computers and track me down. They can have my bulbs when they pry them from my cold, dead lamps.
davidmhoffer says:
December 15, 2011 at 9:06 pm
OK, now I really am confused, and I’m not cracking jokes here. They enacted a law, and then they enacted another law that says they can’t spend any money enforcing the first law? But the first law is still the law? So…if you buy incadescent bulbs, you are breaking the law, but if they arrest you for it, THEY are breaking the law. Does this web of ridiculosis allow the person arrested for buying an incadescent bulb make a citizens arrest of the officer arresting them for buying the incadescent bulb?
This conversation will clear it up for you:
`How do you know I’m mad?’ said Alice.
`You must be,’ said the Cat, `or you wouldn’t have come here.’
Alice didn’t think that proved it at all; however, she went on `And how do you know that you’re mad?’
`To begin with,’ said the Cat, `a dog’s not mad. You grant that?’
`I suppose so,’ said Alice.
`Well, then,’ the Cat went on, `you see, a dog growls when it’s angry, and wags its tail when it’s pleased. Now I growl when I’m pleased, and wag my tail when I’m angry. Therefore I’m mad.'”
Good… But the fact that it was there in the first place illuminates the fact that most of those in Congress are dimmer than the bulbs they tried to ban… I guess they simply didn’t like the competition!!!!!
Congress suspends light bulb ban…
The legislation, which would avert a government shutdown
How do we get them to suspend averting the government shutdown? That would be a much more meaningful and profitable action.
federal light bulb efficiency standards…
Is there anyone in the world who actually believes the United States federal government could set the standard for efficiency in anything other than oppression?
Why are not the federales in Congress laughed to scorn? Are we humans dwelling within these borders actually so afraid of these heavily armed nincompoops?
syncrodox says:
December 15, 2011 at 9:28 pm
I hate to ask a stupid question but how many incandescent light bulb manufacturing facilities are there currently in the continental United States?
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I believe the answer is ZERO. GE, a major lobbyist for the CFL legislation, moved its bulb mfg operations to China, while the last major incandescent factory in upstate NY shut down.
The lesson here: crony capitalism works! Going forward, GE generates huge profits from overseas operations, while home-grown business shuts its doors and lays off a slew of American workers.
(Free clue: GE will make more profit selling CFLs than they did with “old” technology incandescents)