Biden's light bulb Gestapo now aims at LED replacements for banned incandescents

FPI / June 11, 2024

Having already banned the manufacture of incandescent light bulbs, Team Biden has trained its climate Gestapo on the LED bulb in the latest example of satire as news.

"The Department of Energy is trying to squeeze more energy savings out of the remaining bulbs on the market by imposing standards that industry experts say will be tough to meet," Susan Ferrechio reported for The Washington Times on June 10.

Imposing new standards would also double the price to consumers of LED bulbs, industry analysts say.

The Biden Energy Department said bulb manufacturers must nearly triple the number of LED lumens per watt from 45 to 120 by July 2028. The department projects the new standard will cut light bulb energy use by 17% over three decades.

The new standards will also prohibit an increasingly popular class of LED bulbs that do not emit blue light.

Dr. Martin Moore-Ede, director of the Circadian Light Research Center, said blue lighting emitted by LEDs, when used at night, can lead to sleep disturbances, obesity, diabetes, and cancer.

Moore advised the Energy Department to make an exception to the standards for blue-free LED bulbs.

“They are just racing out with this standard because they want to show they are reducing energy consumption, but at the cost of human health,” Moore-Ede said.

Critics say the new LED standard is another Biden administration move to over-regulate home appliances.

“That’s the problem with these agencies. They make their living cranking out more and more regulations. There’s never going to be a stopping point,” said Ben Lieberman, a former counsel for the House Energy and Commerce Committee who is now a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute.

Energy Department officials said the new standards will raise the average price of a LED bulb from $2.98 to $5.68, an increase of 91%.

The ban on incandescents, which was instituted in August, calls for a $523 fine per bulb on anyone who makes or sells them.

Free Press International
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