"The media doesn't tell us HOW to think - they tell us WHAT to think about."

Doncha just love the government forcing you to purchase THIS not THAT? Like Obamacare. This is a slippery slope that few citizens seem to have figured out. They have learned to market such schemes masterfully.

It will be AGAINST THE LAW for stores to sell incandescent bulbs and for them to be manufactured. Citizens are told that it won't be against to law to already have them in their possession, but I wonder how long before that's reversed.

An elephant is eaten one bite at a time - and if you don't get that metaphor than I consider you part of the problem.

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The quiet phaseout of household incandescents showcases the power of government regulations to push changes in the marketplace.

By Kelsey Tamborrino
07/27/2023 04:30 AM

It’s lights out for the incandescent bulbs that people have known, changed and singed their hands on for 140 years.

The modern descendant of Thomas Edison’s most famous legacy is set to formally meet its demise in the U.S. at the end of this month, despite years of efforts by Republicans to extend its lifespan. As of Aug. 1, the Energy Department will fully enforce new efficiency regulations that the old bulbs can’t meet, effectively prohibiting their retail sale.

In their place, consumers can buy more efficient alternatives such as LED bulbs — which cost more upfront but may save consumers money in the long run.

“This is the end of the road for most incandescent bulbs,” said Andrew deLaski, executive director of the Appliance Standards Awareness Project, a group that supports energy efficiency standards.

The quiet phaseout of household incandescents showcases the power of government regulations to push changes in the marketplace. But the process can take many years: Washington’s political and culture war over light bulbs stretches back to the George W. Bush administration, when Congress set the more stringent regulations into motion.

The endgame for old light bulbs came quietly — by early this year, lawmakers had mostly moved on to squabbling over gas stoves and other newer targets of the Energy Department’s efficiency efforts.

Over a decade ago, though, the light bulb issue shone bright for tea party conservatives and GOP presidential hopefuls, who accused Democrats of trying to limit consumers’ choices. Republican lawmakers even succeeded in passing legislation to block the Obama administration from carrying out the new efficiency standards — sometimes to the irritation of large light bulb manufacturers that had spent big bucks preparing for them.

“Light bulb efficiency standards became a symbol in some Republicans’ resistance to expansion of the regulatory state,” said Alex Flint, executive director for the conservative Alliance for Market Solutions. “But manufacturers’ recognition that there were better products and consumer tastes were changing made this much more complicated than some of the political debates.”

The fight zigged, then zagged: The Obama administration took action in its waning days to finalize the bulb efficiency requirements, only for former President Donald Trump — who once proclaimed energy-efficient bulbs made him “look orange” — to halt the move. But DOE pushed the rules to the finish line last year after President Joe Biden came into office with a climate agenda that includes a focus on energy efficiency measures.

DOE completed the action last April, but full enforcement of the rule is set to begin Aug. 1. The transition away from the inefficient bulbs has been underway for more than a year, as the department provided flexibility for manufacturers and retailers to comply with the new standard.

That fight may be settled, but the larger fight over energy efficiency standards is still looming. Republican lawmakers in recent months have continually derided the Biden administration’s efficiency actions on everything from more efficient stoves to laundry machines and dishwashers.

For example, the Energy Department is proposing new efficiency standards covering gas stoves as well as electric stoves and ovens. Advocates say the rule would save consumers money on natural gas and lessen a source of greenhouse gas pollution, but critics point to DOE estimates that only about half of gas stoves now in the market could meet the proposed standards — something they contend amounts to a de-facto ban.

“The light bulb rule going into effect this summer is just another example of the Biden administration’s tidal wave of regulatory burdens crashing down on American families,” said Rep. Pat Fallon (R-Texas) in a statement to POLITICO.

CONTINUE READING: https://www.politico.com/news/2023/07/27/incandescent-light-bulb-led-00107935