Agreement on Omnibus Funding Bill Reached, Blocks Light Bulb Phaseout
Press reports indicate that House and Senate negotiators reached an agreement to provide fiscal year 2012 appropriations to the federal government agencies whose current spending is scheduled to expire at midnight on December 16, 2011. (Some agencies have already received their full FY 2012 appropriations, including Agriculture, Commerce, Transportation, etc.) The House and Senate are expected to act on the measure on December 16, 2011.
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Press reports further indicate that the omnibus appropriations bill includes a provision which would prevent funding of the Department of Energy's light bulb efficiency standards which mandate performance standards for general service incandescent lamps (bulbs) starting on January 1, 2012. As traditional 100 watt incandescent bulbs would not be able to meet this standard, it has often been referred to as a phase-out of these traditional bulbs. (See ITT's Online Archives 11032822 for summary of DOE standards.) Another press report suggests that this Congressional action will not deter manufacturers from complying with the efficiency standards.