It has often been said of President Joe Biden that the lights are on, but nobody’s home. Well, starting this week, the American people can be sure that those lights will be LEDs as his administration’s ban on incandescent bulbs goes into effect.
Back in April 2022, Biden’s Department of Energy implemented a new “cost-saving” and energy efficiency rule to supposedly combat climate change and save money for the American people. Starting Tuesday, August 1, it will be illegal to sell Thomas Edison-style light bulbs in every state across America. Companies won’t be able to manufacture them. The government claims it’s not a ban because they aren’t confiscating any existing bulbs. Instead, Biden and his gang are helping you out by inserting themselves into your daily decision-making, their argument goes.
“By raising energy efficiency standards for light bulbs, we’re putting $3 billion back in the pockets of American consumers every year and substantially reducing domestic carbon emissions,” U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm said last year.
Last week, Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) succinctly summarized the paternalizing aspect of all this.
“I’m happy the Department of Energy is out here making sure that we can all save money because we’re too dumb to figure out how to do it ourselves,” Fitzpatrick said at a hearing.
Ultimately, this new rule will take away choice from the marketplace.
It doesn’t matter if you’re like this author, who believes that the incandescent light bulb is superior to LEDs (they seem less migraine-inducing, at least based on personal experience), your government thinks it knows better than you do.
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Plus, this is about being “energy efficient,” they tell us. It’s for the planet and a better future.
“The lighting industry is already embracing more energy-efficient products, and this measure will accelerate progress to deliver the best products to American consumers and build a better and brighter future,” Granholm said in April 2022.
So what will this new rule do to help the planet, exactly?
“Over the next 30 years, the rules are projected to cut carbon emissions by 222 million metric tons — an amount equivalent to the emissions generated by 28 million homes in one year,” the Energy Department said in a press release.
For context, in 2021, China released 11.47 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions — and they don’t care to cut back any time soon. But don’t worry, these incandescent light bulb “bans” will help the planet, at least according to Biden and his ilk.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.