Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick Holds Conference On BULB Act

Pennsylvania 8^th District Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick held a press conference at the Lenox Corporation offices in Bristol Borough Monday to talk about upcoming vote in Washington D.C. over the "Better Use of Light Bulbs" or BULB Act.

BULB, if passed by Congress, will repeal two sections of the 2007 Energy Independence and Security (EISA) Act, which set energy standards for light bulbs. EISA, if left unchanged, will have the federal government faze out any light bulb that cannot meet the new energy efficiency standards. The transitional process will start nationwide January 1, 2012 with 100-Watt bulbs and continue onto 75-, 60- and 45-watt bulbs by 2014.

"(The EISA Act) wrote provisions which essentially outlawed the incandescent light-bulb as a choice for consumers to purchase," Fitzpatrick said.

Fitzpatrick said he fears that if the 2007 EISA Act is left unchanged, it could mean a loss of domestic jobs, due to the predominance of CFL (compact fluorescent lamps) and halogen bulbs for sale in America being made in China. Both light sources are two of the few existing bulbs that currently meet EISA's energy efficiency standards.

The BULB Act is not free from criticism. A September 2010 press release by National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) said the "Better Use Of Bulbs Act is not better."

"The reality is that consumer preference already has been shifting away from incandescent products … energy-saving halogen (advanced incandescent) bulbs join CFLs on store shelves today, and provide the choices and desired lighting ambiance consumers want, using much less energy than consumed by the 100-year-old technology they replace. More products are becoming available every day," NEMA Vice President of Government Relations Kyle Pitsor said in the September 2010 news release.

According to Fitzpatrick's Director of Communication Darren Smith, the congressman received a large volume of correspondence over the BULB Act, some in favor, some opposed.

"It's rare to receive this much correspondence over one issue," Smith said.

Fitzpatrick said he believes Monday night's vote would likely pass the Republican-majority Congress.

"Every action you take sometimes can have a consequence somewhere else in the economy … while we all want to be energy efficient and reduce our energy consumption and energy costs (the bill would result) in the loss of jobs," Fitzpatrick said.