Legislation + Regulation

Louisiana’s utility regulators, the Louisiana Public Service Commission, voted in late January to approve creation of the first state-wide, independent, energy efficiency program in the Southeast U.S. The program will have a mission to reduce energy usage and energy bills for both homes and businesses across the state. Measures can include things like insulating buildings, [...]

On January 16, 2024, The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) proposing to amend the content of the Energy Guide Label for ceiling fans. The proposal calls for updating the energy cost information and product comparability range. The proposal would also establish a five-year schedule for regularly updating the [...]

  On June 30, 2022, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 54 into law to address the impacts of single-use packaging and plastic food service ware. This law requires that by 2032, single use plastics (packaging & food ware) in CA be reduced by 25%, 65% be recycled, and 100% be recyclable or compostable. The law [...]

  The IRA provides $400 Billion in federal funding for clean energy carbon reduction to address climate change. The IIJA provides $550 Billion in federal funding, over the next 5 years, for infrastructure, including EV charging infrastructure, as well as numerous projects that often include lighting, such as bridges, tunnels, highways, railway improvements, and more. [...]

  In the absence of Federal government action, lawmakers in 28 states have proposed legislation to end seasonal time changes each Fall and Spring. In March, 2022, The U.S. Senate passed a bill to make Daylight Saving Time permanent. The bill went nowhere in the House, and has made no apparent progress in the past [...]

  The Minamata Convention on Mercury was held 10/30 – 11/3, 2023, in Geneva, Switzerland. During the convention, 147 countries agreed to phase out all fluorescent lamps by 2027. This decision will accelerate adoption of LEDs. According to the appliance efficiency non-profit, CLASP, the phase out will have the following beneftis cumulatively between 2027 to [...]

On September 11th, 2023, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) published a final rule implementing Reese’s Law. The intent of the law and CPSC ruling is to prevent childhood choking and ingestion hazard from coin cell batteries. In the lighting and ceiling fan industries, this typically impacts handheld remote controls. Products utilizing coin cell batteries [...]

  The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) established a temporary public interest waiver to waive Buy America requirements for steel, iron, manufactured products, and construction materials in electric vehicle (EV) chargers. The temporary waiver became effective on March 23, 2023. This short-term, temporary waiver enables EV charger acquisition and installation to proceed while also ensuring the [...]

  Disclaimer: I am not an attorney, and this article is a good faith, best effort at communicating the most relevant aspects of BABA requirements, for the lighting industry. The link at the end of this article goes to a more complete article published by the law firm, Steptoe. BACKGROUND The lighting industry has been [...]