Legislation + Regulation

The bipartisan infrastructure deal that passed the Senate on August 10 includes several key provisions that will help modernize the built environment.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has issued a pre-publication Federal Register notice of proposed rulemaking (NOPR) pertaining to definitions for General Service Lamps (GSL).

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has published a Federal Register notice re-evaluating its prior determination that the Secretary of Energy was not required to implement the statutory backstop requirement for general service lamps (GSLs).

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently published a Federal Register Final Determination notice pertaining to standards for fluorescent lamp ballasts, determining that current energy conservation standards do not need to be amended.

Congress is now considering the Energy Act of 2020, which contains numerous provisions related to energy production, distribution, and more-efficient end use. Looking at the highlights, I didn’t see anything directly related to lighting. I’m hoping at least the Commercial Buildings Tax Deduction will get another extension.

LightingEurope is advocating the installation of UV-C disinfection technologies as part of the European Union’s Renovation Wave (part of the EU Green Deal) and the application and enforcement of existing safety rules and standards.

Six environmental and consumer groups have warned the U.S. Department of Energy that they will sue the agency if it does not meet its legal responsibility to review and update overdue energy efficiency standards for 26 consumer and commercial products—including some of the largest energy users, such as air conditioners, water heaters, refrigerators, and clothes dryers—within 60 days.

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) recently asked a federal court to force the U.S. Department of Energy to implement updated energy-saving standards for general-service lamps.

My contribution to the January issue of ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR took a look at the Department of Energy’s recent action on general-service lamp energy standards and its interpretation of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007’s backstop rule.