In this month’s issue of Bearing Drift magazine, Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli praises the “Reemergence of Federalism” and blasts Congress’ perversion of the Constitution’s Commerce Clause. Prior to the passage of Obamacare, perhaps the most egregious abuse of the Commerce Clause was the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act—passed by a Democratic-controlled Congress and signed by a Republican president—particularly its provision banning the sale of incandescent light bulbs by 2014.
The Heritage Foundation reports today that one state is ready to secede from the federally mandated compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) regime: South Carolina
The Incandescent Light Bulb Freedom Act, which unanimously passed South Carolina’s Senate panel, would allow South Carolina manufacturers to continue to sell incandescent bulbs so long as they have “Made in South Carolina” on them and are sold only within the state. Other states have floated the idea, and last year Arizona passed a bill that would have done the same thing, but Governor Jan Brewer (R) vetoed the legislation.
Virginia should follow South Carolina’s example by proposing similar legislation next year when the new General Assembly convenes. While the debate between incandescent light bulbs and CFLs is an important component of broader arguments over federalism and the free market, in the Commonwealth, it is also a matter of jobs.
Last September, Bearing Drift contributor DCH lamented the closure of America’s last major factory producing incandescent light bulbs. Located in Winchester, Virginia, the plant employed 200 people—all of whom lost their jobs. Sadly, these unemployed workers are not being rehired to make CFLs because almost all of the CFLs sold in the U.S. are made in China. By implementing legislation similar to the South Carolina bill, Virginia could reclaim some of the jobs we have lost due to the Energy Independence and Security Act, not to mention the possibility of increased sales tax revenues as consumers from neighboring states drive in to purchase a box of “Made in Virginia” light bulbs.
It is ironic that the party which says the government has no right to tell you what to do in your own bedroom thinks that it is completely within its rights to tell you what kind of light bulb you must have in your bedroom.
This post is not intended to be anti-CFL, although my family has had a raging debate over light bulbs for many years: my father prefers CFLs for their energy-savings, I despise them for their inferior light quality and the hazmat suit one needs to wear if—God forbid—a CFL should break in your home. Furthermore, I am more concerned about the possibility that mercury might seep into the groundwater from CFLs that were improperly disposed of than I am from any global warming that might occur because someone used an incandescent light bulb.
If consumers freely choose to purchase CFLs, making the incandescent light bulb obsolete, I will be disappointed but that is the “invisible hand” of the market at work. However, until the federal government can manage its own affairs, it doesn’t need to Main Street store owners how to manage theirs. South Carolina’s legislators are right to send that reminder to Washington. Here’s hoping Virginia’s legislators send the same message soon, too.
