A few years ago, President Bush signed into law bill that will end light bulbs as we know them. It sets standards for energy efficiency that only fluorescent light bulbs can meet today. So unless things change, a de facto ban of incandescent light bulbs will soon take effect.
Hoping to turn things around, the U.S House recently passed the BULB Act, which would allow the use of incandescent bulbs to continue. But its fate is uncertain. The Texas Legislature also passed this session a law that allows bulbs manufactured and sold in Texas to be exempt from the federal standards, based on the fact that Congress can only regulate interstate commerce. The effectiveness of this law remains to be seen.
National Review Online writes that the fact that a product is superior in some ways does not mean it is superior for all purposes, and it certainly doesn’t give the government the right to ban the competition. We agree.
In fact, the light bulb law highlights the folly of all government energy efficiency programs. Consumers pay millions of dollars each year for savings that are supposed to materialize down the road. Of course, they dont, and consumers are left holding the bag for what is basically a failed but expansive attempt to wean America from fossil fuels.
Below is a video that explains more about the issue: