A Republican House victory for inefficient lightbulbs

dailykos

When economic Armageddon comes because House Republicans remained in persistent denial about the fact that the debt ceiling and consequences for not raising it are very real, at least those Republicans will be able to enjoy it in the hot glow of their old, inefficient incandescent lightbulbs. If the lights actually stay on.

The House on Friday morning moved to block federal light bulb efficiency standards without even a roll call vote.

An amendment from Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Texas) defunding the Energy Department's standards for traditional incandescent light bulbs to be 30 percent more energy efficient starting next year was approved rather anticlimactically by voice vote.[...]

Daniel Weiss of the Center for American Progress Action Fund immediately blasted Friday's move. "The House sent a clear signal on Tuesday that it opposes modern efficiency standards for light bulbs despite support from the lighting industry," he said. "[The fact that] the voice vote saved time and effort to get to the known outcome is the only energy efficient aspect of this vote against saving families money by cutting energy use."

How much money could American families save? The DOE has estimated it's as much as $6 billion a year. That's just one reason why the White House and Senate Democrats want to keep these standards. Since the amendment was passed as a policy rider on a larger spending bill, however, it has a decent chance of surviving.

So the Republican House of 2011 is officially more conservative and more insane than the Bush administration of 2007, when President Bush signed the bill establishing those standards. Congrats, Republicans! You succeeded in plummeting well below our low expectations of you.

~ I'm thrilled with this republican mover.  This is the take from the left.  They aren't so happy.  But how Bush signed onto this I'll never know?  Progressive!  ~  C4F

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