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H.R. 2417 (112th): Better Use of Light Bulbs Act
- Introduced:
- Jul 06, 2011 (112th Congress, 2011–2013)
- Sponsor:
- Rep. Joe Barton [R-TX6]
- Status:
- Died (Failed Under Suspension)
The bill’s title was written by the bill’s sponsor. H.R. stands for House of Representatives bill.
- Full Title
To repeal certain amendments to the Energy Policy and Conservation Act with respect to lighting energy efficiency, and for other purposes.
- Summary
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No summaries available.
- Text
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Last updated Jul 06, 2011.
2 pages
- Primary Source
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View on THOMAS (The Library of Congress)
GovTrack gets most information from THOMAS, which is updated generally one day after events occur. Activity since the last update may not be reflected here.
- Citation
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Library of Congress Summary
The summary below was written by the Congressional Research Service, which is a nonpartisan division of the Library of Congress.
7/6/2011--Introduced.
Better Use of Light Bulbs Act - Repeals provisions of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 concerning lighting energy efficiency, including provisions amending the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA), that:
(1) prescribe energy efficiency standards for general service incandescent lamps, rough service lamps, and other designated lamps;
(2) direct the Secretary of Energy (DOE) to conduct and report to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on an annual assessment of the market for general service lamps and compact fluorescent lamps;
(3) direct the Secretary to carry out a proactive national program of consumer awareness, information, and education about lamp labels and energy-efficient lighting choices;
(4) prohibit a manufacturer, distributor, retailer, or private labeler from distributing in commerce specified adapters for incandescent lamps;
(5) authorize the Secretary to carry out a lighting technology research and development program; and
(6) set forth minimum energy efficiency standards for incandescent reflector lamps.
Provides that EPCA shall be applied and administered as if such provisions had not been enacted.
Provides that:
(1) no federal, state, or local requirement or standard regarding energy efficient lighting shall be effective to the extent that the requirement or standard can be satisfied only by installing or using lamps containing mercury; and
(2) no state or local regulation concerning the energy efficiency or energy use of medium screw base general service incandescent lamps shall be effective.
House Republican Conference Summary
The summary below was written by the House Republican Conference, which is the caucus of Republicans in the House of Representatives.
This summary can be found at http://www.gop.gov/bill/112/1/hr2417.
Background
The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (P.L. 110-140) was enacted on December 19, 2007, as a part of the Democrats’ energy agenda. The bill imposed costly new fuel economy mandates on automobiles and imposed energy efficiency standards on household appliances which effectively prohibited Americans from purchasing certain models of products ranging from washing machines to light bulbs. The legislation placed a ban on the manufacture of incandescent light bulbs which is set to phase in after December 31, 2011.
According to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, these light bulb efficiency standards would likely result in a number of negative unintended consequences. For example, some light bulb mandates could only be met with bulbs that contain dangerous mercury. H.R. 2417 would protect Americans’ access to the light bulbs of their choice while guarding against mandates that would force Americans to use florescent bulbs that contain mercury. Rather than having the government limit light bulb options or appear to favor one type of bulb over others, the H.R. 2417 would allow consumers to decide on the cost, type, and efficiency of the lighting that works best for them.
Summary
H.R. 2417 would repeal Sections 321 and 322 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, which would federally ban the manufacture and sale of certain light bulbs. These sections impose energy efficiency standards which would effectively prohibit the sale of certain incandescent light bulbs after December 31, 2011, and impose dozens of new regulations on light bulbs and lamps. In addition, H.R. 2417 would prohibit any state or local energy efficiency regulation from being imposed if that requirement could only be met by installing bulbs or lamps containing mercury.
House Democratic Caucus Summary
The House Democratic Caucus does not provide summaries of bills.
So, yes, we display the House Republican Conference’s summaries when available even if we do not have a Democratic summary available. That’s because we feel it is better to give you as much information as possible, even if we cannot provide every viewpoint.
We’ll be looking for a source of summaries from the other side in the meanwhile.
The bill contains the following citations to other parts of U.S. law:
Slip Laws
Slip laws refer to enacted bills and joint resolutions in their original form as enacted by Congress, that is, before other laws amend them. Slip laws are cited as “Public Law XXX-YYY”, where XXX is the number of the Congress in which the bill or resolution was introduced.
- Public Law 110-140
United States Code
The United States Code is the compilation of permanent laws enacted by Congress. Temporary and other non-permanent laws do not appear in the United States Code. (About half of the United States Code is the law itself, called positive law. The other half is merely a compilation of the laws but has no legal significance.)
- Title 42: THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE
- Chapter 77: ENERGY CONSERVATION
- Section 6201: Congressional statement of purpose