110 HCON 252 IH: Expressing the sense of Congress that no U.S. House of Representatives 2007-11-09 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

IV 110th CONGRESS 1st Session H. CON. RES. 252 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES November 9, 2007 Mr. Burgess submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned CONCURRENT RESOLUTION Expressing the sense of Congress that no Federal or State requirement to increase energy efficient lighting in public buildings should require a hospital, school, day care center, mental health facility, or nursing home to install or utilize such energy efficient lighting if the lighting contains mercury.

Whereas elemental mercury is a powerful neurotoxin that is especially harmful to children; Whereas when elemental mercury is spilled or a device containing mercury breaks, the exposed elemental mercury can evaporate and become invisible; Whereas compact fluorescent energy efficient light bulbs contain between 3.8 and 6 mg of elemental mercury per bulb; Whereas if incandescent light bulbs are prohibited, the only lighting option that meets federally mandated standards may be compact fluorescent lamps containing mercury; Whereas Energy Star, a joint program of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy, advises consumers to seal the CFL (compact fluorescent lamp) in two plastic bags and put in the outside trash when disposing of a burned out but unbroken bulb; Whereas the Energy Star website recommends the following to clean up broken bulbs: (1)Open the window, and leave the room for at least 15 minutes. (2)While wearing rubber gloves, remove all materials you can (without using a vacuum cleaner). (3)Place all materials in two plastic bags and seal them. Wash your hands afterward. (4)The first time you vacuum the area where the broken bulb occurred, dispose of the vacuum bag by sealing it in two plastic bags and placing it in (outside) trash, or completely clean the vacuum canister; Whereas there are certain areas of a hospital, school, day care center, mental health facility, or nursing home that may not be able to be evacuated upon the breakage of compact fluorescent lamps due to security reasons, safety reasons, legal restrictions, or the conditional health of the infirm; Whereas upon the breakage of compact fluorescent lamps there may not be an opportunity for nursery workers, teachers, or healthcare providers to adequately remove the spilled elemental mercury according to Energy Star requirements; and Whereas according to the Environmental Protection Agency 15 States have already taken legal steps to remove mercury from schools through legislation, including Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, Connecticut, Kansas, Maine, Minnesota, Vermont, and Virginia: Now, therefore, be it

That it is the sense of Congress that no Federal or State requirement to increase energy efficient lighting in public buildings should require a hospital, school, day care center, mental health facility, or nursing home to install or utilize such energy efficient lighting if the lighting contains mercury.