Current standards set for 2020 will save American consumers billions, reduce energy consumption

Washington (August 10, 2018) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, called on the Department of Energy (DOE) not to rescind lightbulb efficiency standards that are saving consumers money and reducing energy use. The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 established minimum efficiency standards for general lightbulbs set to take effect in January 2020, which will save American consumers $666 billion dollars and reduce carbon emissions by 1.7 billion metric tons by 2050. In 2017 the Obama administration finalized an expanded set of definitions, which included, among other bulbs, incandescent reflector lamps used in recessed lighting. But media is reporting that the Trump administration is considering the roll-back of the Obama-era cost- and energy-saving standards.

“Lightbulb efficiency standards are lighting the way to consumer savings and environmental protection,” said Senator Markey. “Rolling back these standards would lead to energy waste, undermine innovation, and take money out of the pockets of American families. The Trump administration should immediately stop any effort to rescind these standards and instead work to fully implement the bipartisan law that Congress wrote.”

A copy of the letter can be found HERE.

The Department of Energy published a Categorical Exclusion Determination Form in July that referenced a “Proposed Rule Withdrawing Definition of General Service Lamps” but the document was removed from public view sometime between Monday, August 6 and Tuesday, August 7.

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