November, 03 2009, 12:37pm EDT
National Outdoor Lighting Improvements Would Save $5.1 Billion Annually
New Industry and Advocate Agreement to Boost Streetlight Efficiency; Save Electricity and Money
WASHINGTON
A breakthrough agreement between electrical manufacturers and
energy efficiency advocates, including the Natural Resources Defense
Council, will create the first national standards for street lights,
parking lot lights and other outdoor lighting. The standard will save
electricity and money for consumers, taxpayers and local governments.
The
new standards will phase out the least efficient outdoor lighting
products by the end of 2012, transitioning to new lighting products
that are better for the environment and less costly to run. For
example, new outdoor lights will be required to have a sensor that will
turn them off during daylight hours, putting an end to wasteful
streetlight operation during the day. New parking lot lights must be
capable of being dimmed, which can cut their energy use in half. The
agreement also directs the Department of Energy to develop even better
standards by 2013.
The new rule can save 25 to 42
billion kilowatt hours per year by 2030, which is the equivalent of
powering 2.5 to 4.5 million homes for an entire year. The standard will
cut carbon pollution by almost 8 million metric tons per year, and will
save between $2.8 billion to $5.1 billion annually on energy costs,
according to American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE).
Following is a statement by Lane Burt, Manager of Building Energy Policy at the Natural Resources Defense Council:
"This
agreement marks a breakthrough in our approach to outdoor lighting that
will save money, cut pollution and reduce our electricity use.
Increasing lighting efficiency will help cut down on costs on lighting
our parking lots, highways and even local roads -- everywhere people
drive and park their cars. Now it's time for Congress to finalize the
legislation and for the Department of Energy to begin working to
improve our outdoor lighting standards throughout the country."
For more information on the agreement please see Lane Burt's latest blog post
New Standards for Street Lights More Than Just a Bright Idea
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Green Groups Slam 'Harmful' GOP Vote to Kill Biden Clean Vehicle Rule
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Dec 06, 2023
Climate and environmental campaigners on Wednesday bristled as the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives voted to block a proposed Biden administration rule meant to accelerate the transition from gasoline-powered to electric automobiles.
House lawmakers voted 221-197, almost entirely along party lines, in favor of H.R. 4468, the so-called Choice in Automobile Retail Sales Act of 2023. The office of House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) claimed the bill "stops President [Joe] Biden's agenda to force Americans to drive electric vehicles, which will cede our auto future to China."
However, Democratic Congressman Paul Tonko of New York condemned the measure during a House floor speech Wednesday, asserting that "we should be putting our clean energy standards in overdrive to protect consumers and our planet, not reversing course on vital electric vehicle policies."
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When the Biden administration unveiled its proposed clean transportation standard in April, progressive critics argued that it did not go far enough. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) projects that under the most robust version of its
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Margie Alt, director of the San Diego-based Climate Action Campaign, said in a statement that "today's vote on H.R. 4468 is a cynical and tremendously harmful attempt by some in Congress to placate their deep-pocketed fossil fuel executive and lobbyist allies."
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Republican lawmakers on Wednesday also advanced a raft of what GOP leaders called "American energy solutions" that critics slammed as damaging to the climate, environment, Indigenous rights, and frontline communities. These bills include H.R. 6009, a measure introduced by Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) that would force taxpayers to foot the bill for cleaning up oil and gas wells on federal lands.
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The National Voting in Prison Coalition—made up of over two dozen groups including the Campaign Legal Center, Center for Popular Democracy, Common Cause, Dēmos, Stand Up America, and the Sentencing Project—said that "the Inclusive Democracy Act stands as a beacon of hope for the more than 4.6 million Americans currently disenfranchised due to criminal convictions."
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Some coalition members also put out their own statements of support. Common Cause's Keshia Morris Desir said that "the Inclusive Democracy Act takes significant steps to help end the racist and discriminatory practice of felony disenfranchisement that grips communities of color."
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Nicole D. Porter of the Sentencing Project noted that "not only is expanding voting rights the morally correct thing to do—it is also effective policy: For people who have been impacted by the criminal legal system, restoring voting rights has been linked to reduced recidivism, as it helps them rehabilitate and reintegrate into civic life."
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