Saturday, December 22, 2007

100-watt bulb set to be dimmed permanently

Congress this week passed legislation designed to boost energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The measure raises fuel-efficiency for passenger vehicles to 35 miles per gallon (mpg) by 2020, up from 25 miles mpg now (the first such increase since 1975) and phases out 100-watt incandescent light bulbs by 2012. It also mandates that companies manufacture more energy efficient appliances, slap labels on TVs and computers specifying their energy consumption, and requires gasoline producers to quintuple the amount of ethanol and other biofuels in the fuel supply to 36 billion gallons by 2022. The Los Angeles Times reports that the 822-page bill, which passed after Democrats agreed to strip out a $21 billion tax increase to avoid a presidential veto, is expected to shave the nation's energy consumption by an estimated 7 percent and cut carbon dioxide emissions by 9 percent by 2030. Read More

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