Posted on 12/06/2010 6:42:56 PM PST by jazusamo
Three years after he led the charge to require consumers to ditch their comfortable old incandescent lights in favor of those twisty CFL bulbs, Rep. Fred Upton now wants to be the man to help undo that law as the next chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
That about-face is not unique among lawmakers looking to atone for stances they've taken over the past decade as they seek to gain top posts in a decidedly more conservative Republican Congress, but his reversal underscores how intent the GOP is on proving it has broken with past practices.
"We have heard the grass roots loud and clear, and will have a hearing early next Congress," said Mr. Upton, a Michigan Republican who is facing several others in his party in a bid to earn the gavel of the powerful committee. "The last thing we wanted to do was infringe upon personal liberties - and this has been a good lesson that Congress does not always know best."
Indeed, the compact fluorescent lamp, or CFL, has become a symbol of government overreach for many consumers, who wonder what was wrong with the incandescent bulbs that have lighted their kitchens, family rooms and bedrooms for more than a century.
The government says incandescent bulbs have too short a life span and are inefficient, wasting most of their energy on heat rather than on light. CFLs, on the other hand, can last up to 10 times as long and use 75 percent less electricity.
Still, they were slow to catch on, prompting industry, environmentalists and lawmakers to team up and give consumers a push. Mr. Upton joined Rep. Jane Harman, California Democrat, to co-sponsor legislation to phase out incandescent bulbs beginning in 2012. Their bill was incorporated into the 2007 Energy Independence...
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
I am reluctant to use CFLs because of the mercury hazard. I was a chemistry major as an undergraduate and worked as a lab assistant. We were rigorously trained to clean up mercury spills usually resulting from a broken thermometer. Even decades ago the vapor hazard from very small mercury spills was well known. Filling my home with CFLs to me is too much of a risk. I have been stockpiling incandescent bulbs and have been trying LED bulbs hoping that safer technology will become better and cheaper.
I agree, the thing that’s so irking is Upton’s flip flop on this because he wants the chair, he lies.
Yes, it is too late and Upton knows it!
He’s undoubtedly the kind of man the new shallow toilets were built for ~ all of his needs are easily dealt with.
In a practical world that's what most will do.
I would take the twisty little bastards and flush them down my toilet, but, oh yeh, my toilet won’t flush much of anything. Thanks, Congress. As Marion Barry once famously said about Jesse Jackson: “Jesse wanna run for Presdent — Jesse ain’t nevuh run nofin but his own mouff.”
Me either, plus they give some people, especially those prone to migraines, headaches. They make my eyes water, and that is a fact. I am stocking up on Incandescents just in case. I use the curly ones in some places but not everywhere and not in my bedroom. I was having a he** of a time trying to figure out why my eyes would start watering and stinging suddenly out of the blue. A little experimenting led to the conclusion it was the CFL bulbs. Why, I don’t know, I just know it is true.
PS, the main reason though is that the government should absolutely no say what so ever in what type of light bulbs I use or how much water my toilet uses to flush.
The marketplace IS working. If I read correctly, 30% of bulbs sold are the CFL’s. So people ARE buying them. But that’s THEIR choice. I HATE them with a passion. Pike Place Market in Seattle replaced all of their incandescents with CFLs and now instead of looking warm and timeless, it looks like some Soviet era gulag. And they probably threw the perfectly fine incandescents in the trash.
All under the heading “Socialists are idiots.”
Do I continue building my stockpile of incandescents or don’t I? God I have government twits meddling in my life. If they repeal this stupid law, I’ve got a huge pile of incandescent bulbs I really don’t need. If they don’t repeal, I’m going to be in good shape.
Creating uncertainty is the only thing the government is good at. Normally I’d caveat the military, but their suicidal PC thinking is going to get a lot of us killed soon. Our enemies are arming up at an incredible rate and our military is worried about which tea cozy and doilies the homos will want.
There ‘s a move in europe to rescind their ban because of its toxicity. If someone gets liver failure which can be attributed to a bulb being broken can Upton be sued ?
I can attest to that. I have to keep my heat really low - money - and bundle up good - but my lamp over my shoulder really does provide some warmth -
But, dang, I've been stockpiling in old style bulbs, hoping to cash in when the ban went into effect - selling “heat balls” ;o)
I'd like to see a few hundred people innocently mill around outside the capitol......and then pull out a few hundred twisties and throw them on the capitol steps and watch the fun. (I missed out on the 1960s-70s civil disobedience as I was serving in the USMC.)
I have a very hard time believing anyone on either side of the aisle that says this. I don't believe it at all when it comes from someone who has made a 24 year career out of being in Congress.
Taking his que from romney no doubt.FUKIM
I just replaced the first CFL installed in this house. Over a decade ago, running 24/7 (except during power outages). Rather poor light quality, but in the garage it didn't matter and we didn't need the heat from an incandescent there.
All but one shaded fixtures now have CFLs and we're happy.
But Congress has NO RIGHT WHATSOEVER to banish incandescents. Tell me where the constitution grants them this power.
Congress makes George III look like the centerpiece of benevolence.
“anybody seen this to be true ? I haven’t yet.”
I’m lucky to get a year out of one. Those that do last take longer and longer to warm up.
Agreed, if they’re so great Congress doesn’t have to pass a mandatory law, people will go for an improvement.
[9 months out of the year the heat produced by incandescents is not wasted, but contributes to the heating of the home.]
Exactly! I’ve been trying to tell people this, waste heat isn’t waste in the winter.
Much less leaving a light on near a water pipe or plant that might freeze in a cold snap.
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