The “How Many Legislators Does it Take to Change a Light bulb Act”, which has been drafted by California Assemblyman, Lloyd Levine, D-Van Nuys, would ban the use of incandescent light bulbs by 2012.
“Incandescent light bulbs were first developed almost 125 years ago,” said Levine. “And since that time, they have undergone no major modifications.”
“Meanwhile, they remain incredibly inefficient, converting only about 5 percent of the energy they receive into light,” said Levine.
The bill is aimed at the amount of pollutants produced by the kilowatt hour that make that light available.
California is the first state to madate a 25 percent cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020.
Sponsors of the bill recommend that consumers switch to energy-efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), which in 2005 only accounted for 5 percent of the 2 billion dollar light bulb market.
“They save money and energy,” said EPA spokeswoman, Enesta Jones. “They are more convenient than other alternatives and come in different sizes and shapes to fit almost any fixture.”
A 20 watt CLF provides as much light as a traditional 75 watt incandescent bulb.
“Obviously we’re not going to have police going into 7-11s, searching for light bulbs,” said Edward Randolph, chief counsel to the Assembly Utility and Commerce Committee for Levine.
“There are only a few producers of incandescent bulbs out there, and they won’t be permitted to sell in California,” said Randolph, who envisions no incandescent light bulb black market.
“LED (light emitting diode) and Halogen lights will still be alright,” said Randolph.
“Incandescent lights are extremely inefficient, and they are ultimately responsible for over 20 percent of the total CO2 emissions in the US,” said Eco-LEDs founder Mike Adams, an advocate of LED-sourced lighting. “Cleaner, greener and more energy efficient technology exists right now; it’s called LED lighting,” said Adams.
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