It is time to reflect upon something our federal government did right and on the admirable way it was reported by the NY Times.
On Thursday the Times ran a story about new energy efficiency standards for light bulbs.
Since the Energy Independence and Security Act was originally passed in 2007 and signed by President Bush, most news outlets reported how it will outlaw the beloved incandescent light bulb. Congressional Republicans earlier this year tried unsuccessfully to block the law from taking effect, claiming that our nanny government was once again overstepping its authority and limiting our freedoms beyond reason.
The Act is one of the best pieces of legislation I have seen in a long time. First, it addresses a real problem. Our country lacks a clear strategy for growing our capacity to generate electricity in order to keep up with anticipated demand, and much of that demand comes from lighting our homes, schools and offices.
Second, the law is reasonable. Instead of picking products for us to buy, it merely sets efficiency standards for those products. The lighting standards resemble the fuel economy standards it has been setting for automobiles since the seventies.
There is no reason why we shouldn't have better lighting for less money. Today's incandescent light bulb is buggy whip technology. Were Thomas Edison still around he would have no trouble recognizing one of our bulbs, despite his having commercialized the first one over 130 years ago.
Third, the the law is already proving effective. As the NY Times effectively illustrates, the law has prompted manufacturers to introduce a dazzling array of new lighting technologies and products. Despite what the law's opponents claim it has given us more choices, and it will only get better over time.
The law also requires new product labeling to allow us to more easily base our choices on the cost of the bulb, the cost of the energy it uses, and the amount of light it produces. Lighting manufacturers now have an unbiased set of rules for describing product value to their customers.
Score a small but notable victory for good government. Thank heavens the congressional dim-bulbs were defeated, although I wonder whether their aim wasn't so much about scoring a legislative victory as it was about scoring points with their government-phobic constituents.
