Light Bulb Law Sends Jobs To China (unemployment, Congress, independence)

[LauraC]

"...in this period of economic uncertainty and growing unemployment, the replacement of our usual bulbs has cost a lot of jobs. General Electric, for example, has closed factories in Kentucky and Ohio and has recently announced it is closing its major incandescent factory in Winchester, Va. — a factory that employed 200 of our fellow Americans and the last major incandescent manufacturing facility in the United States. That’s good news for China and other countries that will take up the slack with CFL manufacture..."

Opinion : Lights out for <br />incandescent bulbs and <br />hundreds of American jobs - Eastern Arizona Courier (http://www.eacourier.com/articles/2010/10/06/opinion/editorials/doc4cab798e22f4c928532554.txt - broken link)

Three House Reps are trying to repeal Subtitle B of Title III of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 — the phase-out of the incandescent bulb.

[Dockside]

I want my light bulb. This is the stupidest damn law.

[TnHilltopper]

I'm no fan of fluorescent bulbs myself, but I wonder if this was like the last buggy whip company complaining about those new fangled cars?

If we did away with farm machinery, we could employ literally millions of workers, but is this best?

[mohawkx]

How come GE is so behind in the technology curve? Actually the next big wave in lighting technology is LEDs. Mercury Vapor is interim technology.

[TnHilltopper]

I have wondered why LED's were more widely adopted already. Its off the shelf technology and while the quality of the light it gives isn't as good, I would imagine further development would make it so. LED's use a fraction of the energy that even a fluorescent bulb does.

[Gary Siete]

Three House Reps are trying to repeal Subtitle B of Title III of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 — the phase-out of the incandescent bulb.

Why? It won't save or create jobs. Incandescent bulb manufacturing was shifting to China even before the 2007 bill.

AFAIK the bill did not specify technologies but said that light bulbs (which account for about 22% of US electrical usage) must be 25 percent more efficient by 2012-2014. The effect is a phase out of incandescent bulbs that were largely being made in China anyways.

[mohawkx]

Originally Posted by TnHilltopper

I have wondered why LED's were more widely adopted already. Its off the shelf technology and while the quality of the light it gives isn't as good, I would imagine further development would make it so. LED's use a fraction of the energy that even a fluorescent bulb does.

I'm in the technology end of the entertainment and political/corporate events, business. Industrial use LEDs are quite powerful with varied uses and applications in the industry. You can filter LEDS to give you any color light you want. I also wonder why the technology hasn't crossed over to commercial/consumer usage.

[sailordave]

Originally Posted by TnHilltopper

I'm no fan of fluorescent bulbs myself, but I wonder if this was like the last buggy whip company complaining about those new fangled cars?

If we did away with farm machinery, we could employ literally millions of workers, but is this best?

not a good comparison. First off, at the time the buggy was replaced with motorized vehicles, those motorized vehicles were still produced within this country (USA). Secondly, there is still a valid need for traditional bulbs over fluorscent bulbs. Exterior lighting in cold weather works best with traditional bulbs over fluorescent bulbs because the fluorescent lights don't put out the same amount of light in cold temperatures. Then third problem with your comparison is when the switch was made from horse and buggy to motorized vehicles, it was not a US government mandate by Congress. It was the result of free market capitalism. The same thing was happening gradually with the light bulbs. Though long since outdated, there are still people who ride a horse and buggy. Though you may consider traditional bulbs to be outdated, I'm sure people in cold climates would like their traditional bulbs for outdoor lighting until they can make a low cost and better light LED bulb. And lastly, there are some people who get headaches from living and working in fluorescent lighted spaces. I'm sure they'd love to keep their traditional bulbs rather than spend $40 to $100 for an LED bulb, when they ever get it to throw light like a traditional bulb.

[70Ford]

This is my flashlight. There are many like it, but this one is mine.

https://www.fenix-store.com/product_...roducts_id=696

It's as bright as a truck headlight on high beams. Uses 4 LEDS and 8 AA batteries.

"The TK40 is the world's brightest, AA-powered flashlight. "

[juppiter]

Originally Posted by TnHilltopper

I'm no fan of fluorescent bulbs myself, but I wonder if this was like the last buggy whip company complaining about those new fangled cars?

If we did away with farm machinery, we could employ literally millions of workers, but is this best?

I gotta agree. Think about Kodak trying to cling to film when digital was taking over in the 90s. This ended up costing them dearly down the line. Had the government passed a law incentivizing digital and Kodak laid off its film workers and continued their jobs in Mexico, they'd be just as screwed as they are right now anyway.