[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 7116]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




      INTRODUCTION OF OUTDOOR LIGHTING EFFICIENCY BILL, H.R. 5201

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JANE HARMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 4, 2010

  Ms. HARMAN. Madam Speaker, three years ago, Congressman Upton and I 
introduced legislation--which became law in 2007 as part of the Energy 
Independence and Security Act--that will revolutionize the way 
Americans light their homes.

  Our legislation banned the famously inefficient 100-watt incandescent 
light bulb by 2012, will phase out remaining inefficient light bulbs by 
2014, and requires that light bulbs be at least three times as 
efficient as today's 100-watt incandescent bulb by 2020.

  That bill was the product of bipartisan and bicameral efforts to 
forge a consensus between industry and environmental groups. The result 
was not only broadly accepted, it was groundbreaking. The Alliance to 
Save Energy estimates that the provisions will eventually save $18 
billion in energy costs every year, and prevent the emission of 100 
million tons of carbon dioxide annually by 2030. That's the equivalent 
of taking 20 million cars off the road.

  If we are serious about getting our arms around both climate change 
and reducing our dependence on oil, we now have to address outdoor 
lighting. It is the other side of the coin. Lighting consumes 22 
percent of all electricity generated in the U.S. Outdoor lighting for 
streets, parking lots and area lighting consumes about 20 percent of 
that total. Up to 25 percent of household electricity goes to light 
outdoor spaces, according to the California Energy Commission.

  H.R. 5201, the bipartisan bill we are introducing today, is identical 
to legislation introduced by Senators Bingaman and Murkowski. It 
reflects a compromise with industry and the environmental community. 
And it builds on the provision we added to the American Clean Energy 
and Security Act reported by the House Energy and Commerce Committee 
last May.

  The legislation imposes standards for outdoor lights in three tiers. 
The first tier takes effect three years after the bill becomes law, the 
second in 2016 and the third in 2021.

  By 2030 the new efficient outdoor lights are expected to save the 
equivalent power output of three to six nuclear plants or 6 to 10 large 
coal fired plants every year.

  It will also save us money. As the Grandma of the Blue Dogs, that's 
important to me. And given skyrocketing deficits and the ongoing 
recession, it ought to be important to this Congress. Annual savings 
will be in the range of $2.8 billion to $5.1 billion by 2030.

  By 2030 carbon emissions will also be reduced in a major way--from 
4.48 to 7.95 metric tons annually, the equivalent of taking 
approximately 3 to 5.4 million cars off the road

  The bill also protects the efforts of early innovators like 
California, which has already passed an aggressive outdoor lighting 
standard.

  And this bill is consensus legislation at its best. It shows what we 
can do when Democrats and Republicans and manufacturers and 
environmentalists work toward the same goal.

  I urge its prompt enactment.

                          ____________________