🚀 go-pugleaf

On Oct 10, 8:42 am, "~^ beancounter ~^" <richboni...@gmail.com> wrote:
> 1. Federal Light Bulb Ban Creating Jobs in China
>
> A federal law banning ordinary incandescent light bulbs has already
> had a negative effect on the American economy — GE has closed its last
> major bulb producing factory in the United States, creating job
> opportunities in China.
>
> Legislation enacted in 2007 orders the phase-out of incandescent light
> bulbs beginning with the 100-watt bulb in 2012 and ending with the 40-
> watt light in 2014. These bulbs cannot meet efficiency requirements
> dictated by law.
>
> Compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) are the least expensive alternative.
> But the manufacture of CFLs is “labor intensive and too expensive to
> be done at U.S. wage rates,” according to a report from The Heartland
> Institute, which estimates that domestically produced CFLs would be 50
> percent more expensive than bulbs manufactured in China.
>
> So instead of retrofitting its plant in Winchester, Va., to produce
> CFLs, GE closed the plant in September and laid off 200 workers.
>
> CFLs are already being manufactured in China, and increasing American
> demand will no doubt create new jobs there.
>
> As the Insider Report disclosed earlier, while CFLs use about 75
> percent less energy than incandescent bulbs and last far longer, they
> cost significantly more, take longer to turn on, can flicker, and
> contain small amounts of highly toxic mercury, which creates problems
> for users when they break or need to be disposed of after they burn
> out.
>
> “Environmental activists and their allies in Washington were either
> too ignorant of basic economics to see these job losses coming, or
> they were simply too callous to really care,” said Heartland Institute
> science director Jay Lehr.
>
> “Either way, compact fluorescent light bulbs in the real world fail to
> live up to environmental promises, unnecessarily subject American
> households to toxic mercury, produce poor-quality light, and are
> sending American workers to the unemployment line.”
>
> And Sam Kazman, general counsel for the Competitive Enterprise
> Institute, said: “If the new energy-saving technologies being pushed
> by government are really that good, then we don’t need government to
> mandate them. And if they are being mandated, that’s a sure sign that
> they’re not very good.”
>
> Three Republican members of Congress — Joe Barton, Marsha Blackburn
> and Michael Burgess — have introduced a bill that would repeal the ban
> on the incandescent bulb.

Here is a fire hazard warning about the Globe CFLs.

Below is a link to a picture of a CFL light bulb from my bathroom.  I
turned it on the other day and then smelled smoke after a few
minutes.  Four inch flames were spewing out of the side of the ballast
like a blow torch!  I immediately turned off the lights.  But I'm sure
it would have caused a fire if I was not right there.  Imagine if the
kids had left the lights on as usual when they were not in the room.

 I took the bulb to the Fire Department to report the incident.  The
Fireman wasn't at all surprised and said that it was not an uncommon
occurrence.  Apparently, sometimes when the bulb burns out there is a
chance that the ballast can start a fire.  He told me that the Fire
Marshall had issued reports about the dangers of these bulbs.

 Upon doing some Internet research, it seems that bulbs made by â
€œGlobeâ€� in China seem to have the lion’s share of problems.  Lots
of fires have been blamed on misuse of CFL bulbs, like using them in
recessed lighting, pot lights, dimmers or in track lighting.  Mine was
installed in a normal light socket.
I bought these at Wal-Mart.  I will be removing all the Globe bulbs
from my house.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DKvTYNHC5Hw/TD5K7tyembI/AAAAAAAAAvE/moqalvMWygA/s400/Burnt+CFL+bulb.jpg

Harold