The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) and the American Lighting Association (ALA) yesterday ended their legal challenge to the California Energy Commission’s Nov. 13 decision to expand its lamp energy standards. NEMA’s announcement came after reviewing the decision of the federal district court in Sacramento denying the application for a temporary restraining order without prejudice to pursue a motion for a preliminary injunction.
The associations were fighting California’s addition of such common household lamp types as the candle- and flame-shaped bulbs used in chandeliers and sconces, reflector lamps used in recessed cans and track lighting, globe-shaped lamps, and three-way lamps – the same models the U.S. Department of Energy recently eliminated from being covered by national lighting efficiency standards. LEDMyPlace.com has a nice summary here.
“The basis of the NEMA preemption complaint is that there can only be one definition of general service lamps under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act, and that is the definition enacted by Congress in 2007, which has been maintained by the regulations of the U.S. Department of Energy,” explained NEMA General Counsel Clark Silcox. “The court’s decision on the temporary restraining order implies, without deciding, that there might be two definitions: one for California only and one for the rest of the country. NEMA believes that this contradicts Congress’s clear statement that federal energy conservation regulation is a comprehensive national policy.”
Fifteen states and non-governmental organizations have challenged the DOE regulatory definition in the U.S. Court of Appeals in New York City, and that court expects a decision at the end of this year or early next year.
After NEMA and the ALA dropped their lawsuit, energy and environmental organizations saw it as a victory for energy efficiency.
“The lighting industry finally came to its senses and discontinued its desperate efforts to block California’s common-sense light bulb efficiency standards, which are poised to save consumers billions of dollars on their utility bills,” said Noah Horowitz, director of the Center for Energy Efficiency Standards at the Natural Resources Defense Council. “All bulbs sold in California must now be efficient ones, meaning that the world’s fifth-largest economy will only be illuminated by energy-saving models, furthering its competitiveness and environmental leadership.”
Under the new rules that recently took effect in the state, LED and CFL lamps under the definition of the covered lamp types can still be sold in California, but incandescent and halogen lamps, which do not meet the minimum efficiency level of 45 lumens per watt, will not. This is in addition to state standards that went into effect in 2018 for general-service lamps and small diameter reflector bulbs for track and recessed lighting.
