The Department of Energy (DOE) is prepared to start imposing fines on American companies buying and selling most incandescent light bulbs, according to E&E News.
After years of political and regulatory fighting over the status of incandescent light bulbs, the DOE is set to enforce light bulb regulations which will cement the market dominance of LED light bulbs, according to E&E News. The DOE can impose fines on companies involved in buying and selling incandescent bulbs, which were used in about 50% of U.S. homes as of 2020, according to the report.
The agency is permitted to impose a $542 fine upon manufacturers, importers, distributors and retailers per each violation, according to E&E News. The penalties could rise as high as millions of dollars for large orders of the incandescent bulbs, according to E&E News.
While previous regulatory efforts regarding light bulbs had not included retailers in their purview, the enforcement push will include retailers in its scope, according to E&E News. The DOE confirmed last week that enforcement actions are underway, but it is presently unclear to what extent, according to E&E News. (RELATED: Biden Asks Congress To Punish Oil Companies For Not Drilling More)
Trump Takes On Another Reg, This Time He’s Rolling Back Rules On Light Bulbs https://t.co/ViCNOobRih
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) September 5, 2019
“They can go after you if you’re a brick-and-mortar store, an online retailer, a distributor, an importer. They can go after anyone in the (supply) chain they want,” said Daniel Eisenberg, an attorney with Beveridge & Diamond PC, according to E&E News. “It’s going to impact a much wider sector of the economy than the typical Department of Energy appliance efficiency standard does.”
Though there is not an outright ban on incandescent bulbs, the DOE has extended the list of light bulbs under its regulatory purview and adopted an efficiency standard approved by congress in 2007, which together will make nearly all incandescent light bulbs on the market run afoul of the DOE’s standards, according to E&E News.
“For the garden variety light bulb, the era of the incandescent bulb has come to an end,” Andrew deLaski, executive director of the Appliance Standards Awareness Project, said to E&E News.
Many large retailers, like Home Depot and Lowe’s, have come into compliance with the new regulatory landscape, according to E&E News.
Incandescent bulbs cost less than LEDs up front, but LEDs are more efficient and thus comparatively less expensive over their lifetimes, according to Hutton Electric, Heating and Air.
The Biden administration has unveiled new regulations that would target other household appliances, including dishwashers, water heaters, portable gas-fired generators and gas stoves.
The DOE did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.