Let there be Light! (Incandescent or Florescent?)

I’ve been using compact florescent bulbs in my house for at least ten years. They save energy and money. They work very well, and last a long time. Some I haven’t changed in 10 years.

But you’d never know their advantages if you watch the “Battle of the Bulbs” in Washington these days. Three House Republicans, Joe Barton and Michael Burgess of Texas and Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, together with Senator Mike Enzi of Wyoming, have introduced legislation to repeal a 2007 U.S. law which phases out the old incandescent light bulbs in favor of alternatives which save energy, like compact fluorescents and LED’s.

This is another assault against environmentalists and their allies in Congress. And although the Congresspersons who are urging this repeal probably don’t see it this way, it is also an assault on every religious denomination, including Catholicism, that teaches energy conservation as a moral issue in our common quest to save the planet.

According to the National Resources Defense Council, the new bubs use 25-30 percent less energy. They can lower electric bills from $100 to $200 per year in the average American household, and reduce carbon pollution substantially, approximately 100 million tons of CO2 per year once the new standards are phased in.

Those who want repeal must have their “dimmer switches” on very low.
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