[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 86 (Thursday, May 24, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6895-S6896]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. STEVENS (for himself, Mr. Lieberman, Ms. Snowe, Mr. 
        Carper, Ms. Murkowski, and Ms. Landrieu):
  S. 1526. A bill to direct the Secretary of Energy to develop 
standards for general service lamps that will operate more efficiently 
and assist in reducing costs to consumers, business concerns, 
government entities, and other users, to require that general service 
lamps and related products manufactured or sold in interstate commerce 
after 2013 meet those standards, and for other purposes; to the 
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
  Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I join my colleagues Senator Carper, 
Snowe, Lieberman, Murkowski, and Landrieu in introducing two important 
domestic energy bills.
  The Senate has an opportunity to save consumers $15 billion annually 
in energy costs, eliminate the need for hundreds of new power plants, 
prevent the release of tons of mercury into our environment annually, 
reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 3 trillion pounds, lead the world in 
the innovation of new technologies and increase domestic employment 
opportunities.
  How? The good old fashion light bulb.
  Thomas Edison was one of our Nation's greatest inventors. He holds 
nearly 1100 patents, including the light bulb. Over 125 years ago, he 
invented the conventional incandescent light bulb. While most of his 
other inventions have been significantly improved upon since then, 
Edison's incandescent light bulb is still the most widely used bulb 
today. Unfortunately, only 10 percent of the electricity that goes into 
this light bulb is actually used to produce light. The remaining 90 
percent is often wasted as heat.
  Just as another Edison invention, the phonograph, evolved into 
compact discs and mp3 technologies, today, American innovation has 
improved upon the light bulb. This innovation will continue. Light bulb 
manufacturers and our hard-working Americans have developed 
technologies that are capable of reducing the electricity use 
associated with conventional incandescent light bulbs from between 10 
to over 50 percent. These bulbs are available today.
  These technological and domestic manufacturing capabilities can save 
consumers billions of dollars a year in energy costs.
  My colleagues and I are proud to introduce two bills that will ensure 
that we take advantage of these new technologies to save energy, save 
consumers on their electricity bills and promote American ingenuity.
  The first is the Bright Idea Act of 2007. This bill will establish 
efficiency targets for light bulbs that will cut light bulb energy 
consumption by at least half in just 6 years and triple the efficiency 
of today's incandescent bulbs by 2018.
  These efficiency standards are merely the beginning. The bill 
establishes a working group of light bulb manufacturers, labor unions, 
environmentalists and consumer groups to evaluate the state of bulb 
technologies and domestic manufacturing capabilities every 3 years. If 
the technology has advanced and our businesses are capable of higher 
standards, the Secretary of Energy may raise these targets.
  The bill also authorizes a technology-neutral research and 
development program to help our domestic manufacturers, in partnership 
with our national laboratories and universities, advance new lighting 
technologies and directs the Secretary of Energy to educate consumers 
about the benefits of using newer light bulbs.
  We recognize the concerns related to new light bulbs such as mercury 
release and labeling requirements. The bill requires the Secretary, 
together with the EPA, to provide recommendations to Congress on how to 
deal with these challenges.
  The second component of this light bulb package that we are 
introducing today is a bill that will ensure that our Nation is capable 
of taking full advantage of America's lighting innovation through the 
creation of additional domestic employment opportunities. This bill 
provides a construction tax credit for the costs associated with the 
renovation and construction of domestic light bulb manufacturing 
facilities designed to produce the next generation of lighting 
technology.
  I urge Senators to join my colleagues and me in saving consumers 
billions of dollars in electricity costs, reducing greenhouse gas 
emissions, tempering energy demand, eliminating the need for at least 
dozens of new power plants annually, preventing the release of tons of 
mercury into our environment each year and building upon our innovation 
by creating additional domestic employment opportunities for Americans 
by supporting the Bright Idea Act of 2007 and tax incentives for 
domestic lighting technologies. I ask consent that the text of the bill 
be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the text was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                S. 1526

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Bright Idea Act of 2007''.

     SEC. 2. TECHNICAL STANDARDS FOR GENERAL SERVICE LAMPS.

       (a) In General.--
       (1) Establishment of standards.--As soon as practicable 
     after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
     Energy shall initiate a project to establish technical 
     standards for general service lamps.
       (2) Consultation with interested parties.--In carrying out 
     the project, the Secretary shall consult with representatives 
     of environmental organizations, labor organizations, general 
     service lamp manufacturers, consumer organizations, and other 
     interested parties.
       (3) Minimum initial standards; deadline.--The initial 
     technical standards established shall be standards that 
     enable those general service lamps to provide levels of 
     illumination equivalent to the levels of illumination 
     provided by general service lamps generally available in 
     2007, but with--

[[Page S6896]]

       (A) a lumens per watt rating of not less than 30 by 
     calendar year 2013; and
       (B) a lumens per watt rating of not less than 45 by 
     calendar year 2018.
       (b) Manufacture and Distribution in Interstate Commerce.--
     If the Secretary of Energy, after consultation with the 
     interested parties described in subsection (a)(2), determines 
     that general service lamps meeting the standards established 
     under subsection (a) are generally available for purchase 
     throughout the United States at costs that are substantially 
     equivalent (taking into account useful life, lifecycle costs, 
     domestic manufacturing capabilities, energy consumption, and 
     such other factors as the Secretary deems appropriate) to the 
     cost of the general service lamps they would replace, then 
     the Secretary shall take such action as may be necessary to 
     require that at least 95 percent of general service lamps 
     sold, offered for sale, or otherwise made available in the 
     United States meet the standards established under subsection 
     (a), except for those general service lamps described in 
     subsection (c).
       (c) Exception.--The standards established by the Secretary 
     under subsection (a) shall not apply to general service lamps 
     used in applications in which compliance with those standards 
     is not feasible, as determined by the Secretary.
       (d) Revised Standards.--After the initial standards are 
     established under subsection (a), the Secretary shall consult 
     periodically with the interested parties described in 
     subsection (a)(2) with respect to whether those standards 
     should be changed. The Secretary may change the standards, 
     and the dates and percentage of lamps to which the changed 
     standards apply under subsection (b), if after such 
     consultation the Secretary determines that such changes are 
     appropriate.
       (e) Report.--The Secretary shall submit reports 
     periodically to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, 
     and Technology, the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural 
     Resources, and the House of Representatives Committee on 
     Energy and Commerce with respect to the development and 
     promulgation of standards for lamps and lamp-related 
     technology, such as switches, dimmers, ballast, and non-
     general service lighting, that includes the Secretary's 
     findings and recommendations with respect to such standards.

     SEC. 3. RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary of Energy may carry out a 
     lighting technology research and development program--
       (1) to support the research, development, demonstration, 
     and commercial application of lamps and related technologies 
     sold, offered for sale, or otherwise made available in the 
     United States; and
       (2) to assist manufacturers of general service lamps in the 
     manufacturing of general service lamps that, at a minimum, 
     achieve the lumens per watt ratings described in section 
     2(a).
       (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized 
     to be appropriated to carry out this section $10,000,000 for 
     each of fiscal years 2008 through 2013.
       (c) Sunset.--The program under this section shall terminate 
     on September 30, 2015.

     SEC. 4. CONSUMER EDUCATION PROGRAM.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary of Energy, in consultation 
     with the Commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission, shall 
     carry out a comprehensive national program to educate 
     consumers about the benefits of using light bulbs that have 
     improved efficiency ratings.
       (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized 
     to be appropriated to carry out this section $1,000,000 for 
     each of fiscal years 2008 through 2014.

     SEC. 5. REPORT ON MERCURY USE AND RELEASE.

       Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this 
     Act, the Secretary of Energy, in cooperation with the 
     Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, shall 
     submit to Congress a report describing recommendations 
     relating to the means by which the Federal Government may 
     reduce or prevent the release of mercury during the 
     manufacture, transportation, storage, or disposal of light 
     bulbs.

     SEC. 6. REPORT ON LAMP LABELING.

       Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this 
     Act, the Commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission, in 
     cooperation with the Administrator of the Environmental 
     Protection Agency and the Secretary of Energy, shall submit 
     to Congress a report describing current lamp labeling 
     practices by lamp manufacturers and recommendations for a 
     national labeling standard.
                                 ______