Fox & Friends Cheerleads GOP Efforts To Repeal Light Bulb Efficiency Standards
Posted in Main Blog (All Posts) on July 12th, 2011 4:45 am by HL
Fox & Friends Cheerleads GOP Efforts To Repeal Light Bulb Efficiency Standards
Fox & Friends promoted a GOP-backed effort to repeal sections of a 2007 law setting efficiency standards for light bulbs, falsely suggesting that the law bans incandescent bulbs and featuring on-screen screen text that stated: “Don’t touch our bulbs!” In fact, the law only restricts the sale of inefficient incandescent light bulbs, not all incandescent bulbs, as Fox & Friends suggested.
House To Vote On GOP-Backed Bill To Repeal Light Bulb Efficiency Law
The House Will Reportedly Vote On A GOP-Backed Bill To Repeal Light Bulb Efficiency Standards. The Hill reported on July 7 that the House is expected to vote on legislation sponsored by Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) that would “repeal sections of a 2007 energy law that require[s] traditional incandescent light bulbs to be 30 percent more energy efficient beginning in 2012.” From The Hill:
House Republicans introduced legislation Wednesday they hope to bring to the floor next week that would repeal a light bulb efficiency law.
The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas), would repeal sections of a 2007 energy law that require traditional incandescent light bulbs to be 30 percent more energy efficient beginning in 2012.
[…]
The bill Barton introduced Wednesday would repeal the light bulb efficiency law. It also includes a provision specifying that the efficiency standards can not be met solely with bulbs that contain mercury. Compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs, which are much more efficient than incandescents, contain mercury. Barton introduced similar legislation earlier this year.
Republicans have cast the 2007 law as a “light bulb ban,” even though the language doesn’t explicitly ban incandescent bulbs. Still, Republicans say the law will disadvantage incandescent bulbs in favor of more expensive LED (light-emitting diode) and CFL bulbs. LEDs and CFLs are significantly more efficient than traditional incandescent bulbs. [The Hill,
[Fox News, Fox & Friends, 7/11/11]
Varney: “We Have A Jihad Against The New Light Bulbs, Because There Is A Vote In Congress This Week Which Will Keep Those Wonderful Incandescent Bulbs.” Earlier on the July 11 Fox & Friends, Fox Business host Stuart Varney promoted his upcoming program by saying: “We have a jihad against the new light bulbs, because there is a vote in Congress this week which will keep those wonderful incandescent bulbs, and we’re on it.” [Fox News, Fox & Friends,
[Home Depot, accessed 3/4/11, emphasis in original]
Lowe’s: “You Have More Choices Than Ever When It Comes To Buying Light Bulbs.” Lowe’s “Light Bulb Buying Guide” notes that “[w]ith incandescent, fluorescent, compact fluorescent (CFL) or halogen, you have more choices than ever when it comes to buying light bulbs.” [Lowe’s, accessed 3/4/11]
Incandescents Are Less Expensive Up Front, But Alternatives Last Longer And Are Much Cheaper To Operate. According to The Sacramento Bee:
At $1 to $2 each, CFLs and halogen bulbs are affordable, but incandescent bulbs are downright cheap. The average price for a four-pack of 60-watt incandescent bulbs is $1.10. But the energy savings from CFLs quickly add up.
“(Incandescents) cost 25 cents a bulb, but $7 to operate” over their lifetime, Home Depot’s Fernandez said, “while a CFL costs $1.50, and $1.50 to operate, and they last a lot longer.”
Also qualifying under the new standards are LEDs, which offer the greatest efficiency and extremely long life — often decades. LEDs are expensive, $25 a bulb for some brands. But their prices are plummeting as demand goes up.
“We’ve seen LED prices go down 25 to 30 percent in just the last six months,” Fernandez said. [The Sacramento Bee, 2/26/11]
Additionally, Misinformation About Light Bulbs Has Reportedly Been “Deeply Irritating To Light Bulb Manufacturers And Retailers”
New York Times: Conservative Misinformation About Light Bulbs “Has Been Deeply Irritating To Light Bulb Manufacturers And Retailers.” A May 25 article in the New York Times stated:
For years, Glenn Beck, among other conservative pundits and personalities, has proclaimed the death of the incandescent light bulb as a casualty of the “nanny state” (never mind that the light bulb legislation is a Bush-era act), and he has been exhorting his listeners to hoard 100-watt light bulbs (along with gold and canned food). This year, conservative politicians took a leaf from his playbook, introducing bills like the Light Bulb Freedom of Choice Act, courtesy of Michele Bachmann, the Minnesota congresswoman, that would repeal the 2007 legislation.
The hubbub has been deeply irritating to light bulb manufacturers and retailers, which have been explaining the law, over and over again, to whomever will listen. At a Congressional hearing in March, Kyle Pitsor, a representative from the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, a trade group that represents makers of light bulbs, among others, patiently but clearly disputed claims that the law banned incandescent bulbs. He restated the law’s points and averred light bulb makers’ support for the law. As usual, it seemed as if no one was paying attention.
[…]
Joseph Higbee, a spokesman for the electrical manufacturers association, offered his take on the situation: “Unfortunately people do not yet understand this lighting transition, and mistakenly think they won’t be able to buy incandescent light bulbs. This misinformation has been promoted by a number of media outlets. Incandescent light bulbs are not being banned, and the new federal energy-efficiency standards for light bulbs do not mandate the use of CFLs. My hope is that the media can help the American people understand the energy-efficient lighting options available, as opposed to furthering misconceptions.” [The New York Times, 5/25/11]
