New California bills would outlaw inefficient light bulbs
As Thomas Edison adjusts his eternal resting position just a tad, two California state legislators plan to introduce separate bills that would effectively ban incandescent light bulbs in the state over the next decade. One of the bills, backed by California Assembly member Lloyd Levine (D), has been dubbed the How Many Legislators Does It Take to Change a Light Bulb Act (for reals!) and would seek to gradually increase bulb efficiency until 2012, when the standards would exceed the meager capabilities of ye olde incandescents. Assembly member Jared Huffman’s (D) bill would allow six more years to phase out the ubiquitous energy-suckers, requiring a switch by 2018. Compact fluorescents are largely expected to fill the gap, though other efficient options such as LED bulbs stand at the ready. While some consider the idea heavy-handed, California’s energy commissioner estimates that if the state switched over entirely to CFLs, carbon dioxide emissions would fall by about 2 million tons each year.
