Legislation + Regulation

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has proposed a new rule that would ban non-compete agreements and clauses from contracts in the U.S. The motivation is to create more competition and innovation by allowing employees to change jobs freely, without being restricted by non-compete clauses. The rule would apply to both independent contractors and full-time employees, [...]

New York City, San Francisco, Washington D.C., Boston, and St. Louis are all preparing to fine building owners who fail to comply with new local regulations that in most cases, limit large buildings’ greenhouse gas emissions and/or curb energy usage. The earliest of the fines will go into effect this month in San Francisco. This [...]

On December 22nd, I published a story about the U.S. DOE’s proposal to significantly increase general service lamp (GSL) efficacy requirements, here. I’ve since learned that many manufacturers of lamps and luminaires, in the decorative lighting industry, are concerned about certain classes of LED lamps that won’t meet the proposed new federal standard. At issue [...]

Among its many provisions, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 revamped the venerable Commercial Buildings Tax Deduction (CBTD), which incentivizes building owners to invest in energy-efficient interior lighting, HVAC/hot water systems, and/or building envelope.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) proposed to expand the types of lamps that are required to display the Lighting Facts Label. The Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) specifically proposes to add: Lower-brightness lamps (light bulbs) that are not regulated by US DOE. These are lamps below 310 lumens and 30 watts. “Any other [...]

The California Energy Commission (CEC) has formally proposed to end Title 20 regulations on portable luminaires. CEC has issued Notice of Proposed Action (NOPA) for the Repeal of Portable Luminaires Rulemaking, TN # 247747. Portable luminaires include wall plug products like table lamps and desk lamps. The CEC proposes to repeal standards for this appliance [...]

Some in the lighting industry are concerned and closely following both state and federal policy efforts known as Right to Repair. The original motivation is over the right to repair consumer electronic devices and farm equipment. The lighting industry is concerned that proposed state and federal policy proposals might create unintended, burdensome requirements on the [...]

The United Kingdom has joined the growing list of governments working to eliminate fluorescent, halogen, and other HID sources. Last week, the UK government published its proposal to raise lighting product efficacy requirements, using a technology-neutral set of minimum energy performance standards (MEPS). The proposal would impact residential, commercial, and industrial lighting products. Specifically, the [...]

A group of dark sky advocates in New Zealand is actively advocating for a national law to promote dark skies and reduce light pollution. They recently published a document explaining dark skies and making the case for a national law in New Zealand. This month they launched a parliamentary petition to advocate for national legislation [...]