Rep. Michele Bachmann from Minnesota’s 6th District, said Wednesday that she has reintroduced her Light Bulb Freedom of Choice Act in the U.S. House. It would repeal a portion of the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act that phases out traditional incandescent light bulbs for more energy-efficient ones over the next several years. Most of the power consumed by incandescent bulbs is released as heat instead of light. “The government has no business telling an individual what kind of light bulb to buy,” Bachmann said in a statement. Bachmann said her bill also would provide an opportunity to examine whether assertions that newer bulbs would help consumers save money, would reduce carbon dioxide emissions and would not cause health risks are true.
A similar effort is under way in Minnesota. In January, Republican lawmakers introduced legislation establishing that incandescent bulbs manufactured in Minnesota and not sent to other states are not subject to federal law. They said the 9th and 10th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution guarantee a state’s right to provide such protections.