[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 12 (Monday, January 23, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H571-H572]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
EPS IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2017
Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill
(H.R. 518) to amend the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to exclude
power supply circuits, drivers, and devices designed to be connected
to, and power, light-emitting diodes or organic light-emitting diodes
providing illumination from energy conservation standards for external
power supplies, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 518
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 ``EPS Improvement Act of
2017''.
SEC. 2. APPLICATION OF ENERGY CONSERVATION STANDARDS TO
CERTAIN EXTERNAL POWER SUPPLIES.
(a) Definition of External Power Supply.--Section
321(36)(A) of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (42
U.S.C. 6291(36)(A)) is amended--
(1) by striking the subparagraph designation and all that
follows through ``The term'' and inserting the following:
``(A) External power supply.--
``(i) In general.--The term''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(ii) Exclusion.--The term `external power supply' does
not include a power supply circuit, driver, or device that is
designed exclusively to be connected to, and power--
``(I) light-emitting diodes providing illumination;
``(II) organic light-emitting diodes providing
illumination; or
``(III) ceiling fans using direct current motors.''.
(b) Standards for Lighting Power Supply Circuits.--
(1) Definition.--Section 340(2)(B) of the Energy Policy and
Conservation Act (42 U.S.C. 6311(2)(B)) is amended by
striking clause (v) and inserting the following:
``(v) electric lights and lighting power supply
circuits;''.
(2) Energy conservation standard for certain equipment.--
Section 342 of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (42
U.S.C. 6313) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(g) Lighting Power Supply Circuits.--If the Secretary,
acting pursuant to section 341(b), includes as covered
equipment solid state lighting power supply circuits,
drivers, or devices described in section 321(36)(A)(ii), the
Secretary may prescribe under this part, not earlier than 1
year after the date on which a test procedure has been
prescribed, an energy conservation standard for such
equipment.''.
[[Page H572]]
(c) Technical Corrections.--
(1) Section 321(6)(B) of the Energy Policy and Conservation
Act (42 U.S.C. 6291(6)(B)) is amended by striking ``(19)''
and inserting ``(20)''.
(2) Section 324 of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act
(42 U.S.C. 6294) is amended by striking ``(19)'' each place
it appears in each of subsections (a)(3), (b)(1)(B), (b)(3),
and (b)(5) and inserting ``(20)''.
(3) Section 325(l) of the Energy Policy and Conservation
Act (42 U.S.C. 6295(l)) is amended by striking ``paragraph
(19)'' each place it appears and inserting ``paragraph
(20)''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Michigan (Mr. Upton) and the gentlewoman from Colorado (Ms. DeGette)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Michigan.
General Leave
Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and
insert extraneous materials in the Record on the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Michigan?
There was no objection.
Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise certainly in support of H.R. 518.
Regulations are based on the state of technology at the time that
they are developed and may have the unintended consequences of
hindering new advances in products. Such has been the case with the
Department of Energy's efficiency standards for external power
suppliers, EPS. As the regs on the books now stand, it is not legally
possible to make certain types of light -emitting diode--LED--devices,
as well as some kinds of ceiling fans.
So this bill, H.R. 518, the EPS Improvement Act, provides a carefully
tailored solution to the problem. And I want to thank two Members,
Republican and Democrat, Mr. Guthrie and Ms. DeGette, for their good
work on behalf of both the manufacturers, as well as the users, of
these products.
The bill carves out an exception for these devices while giving DOE
the option of setting separate efficiency standards that are more
suited to them.
This bill has been thoroughly vetted--yes, it has. It was included in
last year's energy package. And although that bill didn't make it to
the finish line for unrelated reasons, language virtually identical to
that in H.R. 518 enjoyed very strong bipartisan and certain bicameral
support.
{time} 1600
In addition, the bill passed the House on suspension last year as
well, but failed to make it on the Senate calendar.
For the sake of the manufacturing jobs that are associated with these
products as well as the consumers and small businesses that rely on
them, I would urge all of my colleagues to support and vote for H.R.
518.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. DeGETTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise today to urge the passage of H.R. 518, the EPS Improvement
Act.
Last session of Congress, I cosponsored this bill with our former
colleague Congresswoman Ellmers, and this year, Representatives
Guthrie, Matsui, and Dent are joining me in this effort to strengthen
the standards used to keep LED lighting safe and efficient.
By ensuring that our country's energy conservation standards are up
to date with the latest developments in high-tech lighting, we can
remove obstacles to innovation without sacrificing safety. And as we
heard from the chairman, if there has ever been a bill in Congress that
was vetted, it was this one.
We have been working on this bill for some years now, and, frankly,
what it is doing is it is truly addressing unintended consequences that
happened due to the Energy Policy Act of 2005. That act defined
external power supplies in a way that just simply did not anticipate
the rapid growth and use of LED and OLED light sources during the
decade that followed.
Now, these lights are really energy efficient. They are up to 80
percent more efficient than traditional lights like fluorescent and
incandescent lights, and 90 percent of the energy in LEDs is committed
to illumination, while only 5 percent is heat; so it is no wonder they
have become so popular in the last 10 years. Unfortunately, in the 2005
act, the standards did not allow for these types of lighting as their
use continues to constitute an ever-growing share of our energy
consumption.
What this bill does is it clarifies the definition of ``external
power supplies'' and it amends the conditions under which the Energy
Department can undertake a rulemaking process in the future. The bill
will facilitate the continued growth of LED lighting, and it will help
lower energy prices for businesses and households both in my home State
of Colorado and across America.
Clean energy truly is the future. It can be safe, efficient, and
affordable for all when it is properly regulated, and that is exactly
what this legislation does.
I urge everybody to support this act, and I hope that the Senate will
pass it this year. We are getting a good, early start.
Mr. Speaker, I have no one else to speak on this bill, so I yield
back the balance of my time.
Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers on this side of
the aisle either.
I would urge my colleagues on both sides to again vote for this bill.
Let's hope that the Senate can get it on their plate and get it to the
President for him to sign into law.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Upton) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R., 518.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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