NOTE: This is the second half of a USA Today editorial. Click below to read the full opinion piece.
The new bulbs may cost more, but they use so much less power and last so much longer that they pay for themselves. Over all, switching to new bulbs could save the electricity produced by 30 power plants — enough to power every home in Texas, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council.
Critics complain that the government is “picking winners,” but the bill Bush signed did this the right way: It set efficiency standards that manufacturers could meet any way they liked, and the result is visible at any hardware store — a huge selection of competing bulbs.
Not every government-mandated standard works well or justifies its existence, but the light bulb rule has spurred remarkable innovation and is already saving significant amounts of electricity. A time when a boom in oil and natural gas production has brought the nation tantalizingly close to energy independence is no time to backtrack on bulbs.
Read the full story. (USA Today)
facebook
twitter
LEAP instagram