Washington (Platts)--12Sep2007

A US Senate panel debated a bill Wednesday that would phase out use of
the type of light bulb pioneered by Thomas Edison more than 125 years ago.

     The bill, sponsored by Senator Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico, the
Democratic chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, would
require US lighting manufacturers to gradually stop making the type of
standard incandescent light bulbs that have been used in the US and other
countries for decades. 

     The measure (S.2012) would require the lighting industry to manufacture
and sell only compact fluorescent bulbs, light emitting diodes and other newer
devices that use far less energy. 

     Bingaman said that when fully implemented, his bill would save some 88
billion kWh of power a year. Such a move would save US consumers money, and
would cut down on the need for more coal-fired power plants, which generate
pollution and the carbon dioxide emissions that are contributing to global
warming, Bingaman said. 

     "The potential for energy savings and reduced carbon emissions...is
tremendous, and we well make every effort to see that lighting standards
become law," Bingaman said. 

     Senator Pete Domenici of New Mexico, the committee's top Republican,
acknowledged that the bill would garner "impressive" energy savings. But
Domenici said he had "a number of concerns" about the bill, including the
timetable that it would impose on the lighting industry. 

     "A phase-out period of only two years, as suggested by the bill, appears
unnecessarily onerous," Domenici said. Congress needs to give the industry
"enough time to complete the market transformation." 

     Kyle Pistor of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, which
represents major lighting manufacturers, said the group generally supports
Bingaman's bill. But Pistor, NEMA's vice president of government relations,
called on lawmakers to extend the phase-in period by another year. 

     "A three-year transition period would be eminently reasonable," Pistor
said. But Pistor said NEMA opposes other aspects of the bill, such as
provisions that set energy-efficiency standards for new types of light bulbs. 

     A top Bush administration official who testified at the hearing voiced
similar concerns. Alexander Karsner, the Department of Energy's assistant
secretary for energy efficiency and renewable energy, said the "aggressive"
standards in the bill may lead to "substantial capital investment" by the
lighting industry and "cost increases to the consumer." 

     The House of Representatives passed a provision similar to Bingaman's
bill in the wide-ranging energy bill (H.R. 3221) that the chamber passed in
August. The Senate passed a major energy bill in June, but it is unclear when
lawmakers will attempt to reconcile differences between the measures and send
a single bill to President Bush. 

		--Brian Hansen, brian_hansen@platts.com