Sixteen AGs Filed Comments Opposing Proposed Rollback of Lightbulb Efficiency Standards

MAY 3, 2019

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra led a coalition of 16 attorneys general in filing comments opposing an Energy Department proposal that would roll back federal energy efficiency standards for a wide range of commonly used lightbulbs. The proposed rule would apply to popular three-way bulbs, as well as lightbulbs commonly used in bathrooms and recessed lighting fixtures. In their comment letter, the attorneys general noted that an estimated 3 billion light sockets contain these types of bulbs, or nearly half of all lighting sockets in residential buildings across the United States. The attorneys general also noted that the Energy Department’s proposal violates the Energy Policy and Conservation Act’s anti-backsliding provision, and exceeds the Energy Department’s statutory authority.