Earth Protect Blog

Shared from the 9/5/2019 The Denver Post eEdition

WASHINGTON » The Trump administration turned its deregulatory focus Wednesday to light bulbs, scrapping a rule that would have phased out less-energy-efficient incandescent bulbs.

The move slows a years-long push by Congress and past administrations to switch Americans to LED bulbs and other lighting using less electricity.

President Donald Trump told reporters Wednesday the Energy Department canceled the pending phaseout of the targeted incandescent bulbs because “what’s saved is not worth it.”

“And price was another thing,” he said.

The Energy Department announced the action before the revision’s publication in the Federal Register, a step toward a rule becoming final.

The rule change “will ensure that the choice of how to light homes and businesses is left to the American people, not the federal government,” the Energy Department said in a statement.

The administration said the more-efficient bulbs would cost consumers more to buy than they would save on their electric bills. Environmental groups challenged the claim. — The Associated Press