A second phase of lighting efficiency rules would come into effect in 2020, removing virtually all incandescent light bulbs, including the recent-generation halogens, from store shelves. But in 2017, the industry filed a lawsuit and reached a settlement with the Trump administration that paved the way for a rollback of standards. In 2019, the Trump administration blocked a rule designed to phase out older light bulbs, calling it unnecessary and a barrier to consumer choice.
With the move, the government has responded to demands from industry as well as free-market supporters who have long opposed stricter efficiency regulations for consumer equipment and goods, such as energy-saving light bulbs or water-saving dishwashers, as a government measure.
“The new lamp is many times more expensive, and I hate to say it, you don’t look very good,” Donald J. Trump, the former president, joked at a 2019 White House meeting, referring to an early common complaint that LEDs put out a harder light, although recent LED bulbs come in warmer shades. “We’re bringing back the old light bulb,” he later told a meeting in Michigan.
The Biden administration has moved to restore standards. But in a letter to the Department of Energy last year, NEMA, the industry group, urged federal rules to allow companies to manufacture and import inefficient bulbs for at least another year, followed by another year or more. to sell the stored stock. Signify went further and asked for more time to produce or import wasteful bulbs, followed by the option to sell the bulbs for a period to be determined.
“National laws make it very difficult to find alternative markets to sell new limited products,” the group wrote. “While manufacturers or retailers may try to find other markets for these products, it’s likely that most stranded inventory will have to go to landfills.”
Of course, even if the bulbs were used, they would probably end up in landfills eventually. Asked about it, NEMA, the industry group, said any abrupt transition raised concerns about a “squandering mass removal” of bulbs.
