Better Use of Light Bulbs Act
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Mr. HOLT. I thank the gentleman.
Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition.
Many have claimed that Washington will ban the sale of conventional incandescent light bulbs. My colleague from Texas just said he regrets that he would lose this soft glow of the incandescent light. In fact, he can use an incandescent light. It looks like this. It looks familiar. It's what in comic strips you put above somebody's head to say, ``I've got a good idea.'' Not that I'm going to keep doing things the old way and stick in a rut, no. I've got a good, new idea.
That's what happened a few years ago when it became apparent that technology had come so far that we didn't have to throw away 90 percent of the energy of an incandescent light bulb. Scientists had shown us how you can make light bulbs that would produce, as these do, 100 watts worth of light for 72 watts of electricity charge, and you could do it for $1.49 for each of them here.
Well, in a bipartisan effort, this legislation that has driven the country forward in lighting was passed, and now the majority on a partisan tear is coming and trying to repeal it just when it shows that it is working. About 15 percent of residential electricity goes into lighting. Wouldn't you, wouldn't anyone, like
to save 30 percent of that, which is just being thrown away?
Now, my colleagues say Congress shouldn't be doing this. Why are they not also issuing calls for turn-of-the-century Model Ts or iceboxes? They have sort of a yearning for the good old days, technologies that are roughly as old as the incandescent light bulb.
We're proud in New Jersey of Thomas Edison. But we've improved the talking machines. We've done a little bit better with the moving pictures. Now, Model Ts and iceboxes are technologies that actually happen to have been improved through Federal standards. The companies are moving rapidly to make more efficient lighting that will give you all the advantages you want that you're used to of the incandescent bulb and save you bundles. Yes, this costs a few dimes more, but let me tell you, you start saving dimes the moment you screw these into the socket.
This is a bad idea to repeal it.
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