See the Light, Ban Old Bulbs, Lawmakers Say: Assembly Pair Seek Phaseout of the Incandescent Models

Jan. 31--The common light bulb may be headed the way of penny candy, dime stores and eight-track rock 'n' roll tapes -- extinct.

More than 100 years after Thomas Edison perfected the incandescent light bulb, two lawmakers are pushing to make California the first state to ban it.

Assemblyman Lloyd Levine, D-Van Nuys, said he plans to call his bill the "How Many Legislators Does It Take to Change a Light Bulb?" act.

But Levine said the intent of his bill is very serious -- to phase out the standard, incandescent bulb in favor of a more energy-efficient model.

"They're cheaper for the consumer, they save the state money and they're better for the environment," Levine said of energy-efficient bulbs.

Legislation is needed because many consumers, faced with a much cheaper retail price for a traditional bulb, don't realize that an energy-efficient model can burn 10 times longer and save perhaps $55 per bulb in the long run, Levine said.

State Sen. George Runner said, tongue in cheek, that such legislation could wreak havoc by forcing the redrawing of all those "I've got a new idea" cartoons that feature a light bulb hanging above somebody's head.

Runner, a Lancaster Republican, said banning incandescent light bulbs would amount to "nanny government" in which lawmakers dictate how people should live their lives.

Runner said the state should create incentives for buying energy-efficient light bulbs, perhaps, but not prohibit particular models.

"People will do what they think is right for their economics," he said.

Levine said his proposal would ban the sale of incandescent bulbs by 2012.

Assemblyman Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, announced Tuesday that he has created a separate bill to ban incandescent bulbs by 2018, thus providing a 10-year phaseout period.

Huffman and Levine said late Tuesday that they will work together on merging the two measures, but they have not yet agreed on specifics.

Huffman said he hopes to create an energy-efficiency standard for light bulbs, setting the bar too high for incandescent bulbs but allowing for introduction of new technologies in coming years.

The current alternative to a traditional incandescent bulb is a compact fluorescent lamp, which retails for up to $9 apiece but is available in the Sacramento area for about $1 through subsidies from the Sacramento Municipal Utility District.

"I'm confident that consumers are going to find efficient lighting technologies affordable and abundant within a few years," said Huffman, chairman of the Assembly's Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee.

Unlike the bulbous-shaped traditional household light, compact fluorescent models look like squiggly swirls of light or come equipped with short tubes.

Dimmer switches can be used on the old, traditional light bulbs and on the newer models.

Max Lofing, one of the owners of Lofing's Lighting in Sacramento, said the vast majority of energy-efficient, compact fluorescent bulbs provide substandard quality.

"They aren't quite up to par as far as color rendering," he said.

"They don't make them up to a standard where they provide the highest quality for decorative fixtures."

Banning incandescent bulbs is not expected to favor one manufacturer over another, because General Electric, Sylvania and Philips are leaders in producing both traditional and energy-efficient models, officials said.

Last month, Philips called for incandescent bulbs to be replaced in Europe within 10 years.

Mark Murray, executive director of Californians Against Waste, said switching to energy-efficient models would save significant amounts of energy, diminish greenhouse gas and place less strain on landfills because they burn far longer and require less electricity.

"We're not telling consumers what to do, we're ending a technology that's obsolete," said Murray, whose group is sponsoring Huffman's bill.

Murray said the energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs contain mercury, however, so any measure passed by the Legislature should contain provisions for retrieval and recycling.

Cory Lowe, spokesman for the Rocky Mountain Institute, a nonprofit environmental group, said he supports energy-efficient bulbs but understands that not everyone can afford them.

Several Sacramentans interviewed Tuesday were skeptical of the proposed ban.

"I think government's going too far on that," said Martin Piceno, 22.

Gloria Dellavedova, 51, said she considers energy-efficient bulbs a good value but doesn't want to see government dictate the market.

"I personally would prefer to have the choice," said Beth Jensen, 27.

-----

Copyright (c) 2007, The Sacramento Bee, Calif.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News.

For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.

NYSE:GE,