Legislation + Regulation

  The 2025 NYC Energy Conservation Code (NYCECC) tightens lighting efficiency and control requirements, aligns more closely with the latest NY state energy code, and retains or strengthens prior NYC‑specific lighting provisions. NYC Department of Buildings (DOB) is expected to begin enforcing the new code on March 30, 2026 when updated compliance software is fully available. Filings [...]

  Big picture The Department of Labor’s rule (effective March 11, 2024) replaced the 2021 Trump-1.0‑era independent contractor rule and restored a broader, six‑factor “economic realities” test to decide whether a worker is an employee or a genuine independent business under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The rule makes it generally harder to classify [...]

On January 23, 2026, President Trump signed a bipartisan fiscal 2026 funding bill (H.R. 6938) into law that secures roughly $33 million for the EPA’s ENERGY STAR program, ensuring its operation despite earlier efforts by the administration to eliminate it. The funding level remains relatively flat, providing a key reprieve for the efficiency program. Funding Details: The [...]

  Maine’s LD 1934 is new lighting legislation that is the strictest light pollution state requirements in the country. On January 7, 2026, Maine’s Governor Mills announced she would allow the vast majority of held bills from 2025 (52 out of 61) to become law without her signature. LD 1934 has officially become law. Effective Date [...]

President Donald Trump’s December 18th executive order moving cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III marks a major federal policy shift that expands medical recognition and research access without fully legalizing the drug, and it sets the stage for significant growth and professionalization in cannabis cultivation. This growth is likely to increase demand for high‑performance, [...]

  The states that currently have EPR (extended producer responsibility) laws that cover packaging, including plastic packaging, are Maine, Oregon, California, Colorado, Minnesota, Maryland, and Washington. These laws place responsibility on producers for the end-of-life management of packaging, including plastic packaging, often requiring registration with a producer responsibility organization (PRO), reporting, and payment of fees [...]

  Fluorescent lamp bans have been passed in ten US states, and four of those states have effective dates of January 1st, 2026, for at least one category of fluorescent lamps. The four states are Hawaii, Maine, Minnesota, and Illinois. The fluorescent lamp categories banned on January 1 vary by state. The following table shows [...]

  China’s tightening of rare earth export controls, this month, has intensified global supply chain concerns with specific repercussions for the lighting industry. Beijing’s Ministry of Commerce expanded its rare earth export list, adding five new elements for a total of twelve. The new regulations extend beyond raw materials, also covering refining technologies, equipment, and [...]

  A new emergency rule issued by U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy, aimed at improving roadway safety by restricting eligibility for non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) and commercial learner’s permits. This action follows a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) audit revealing that several states, notably California, issued CDLs to drivers who were ineligible [...]