2019: A Great Year for Light Bulb Freedom

Whatever else one may say about 2019, it was a banner year for consumer choice when it comes to light bulbs, culminating in the December 20th decision by the Department of Energy (DOE) declining to regulate them any further.  Like many bad ideas from Washington, light bulb regulations had bipartisan support. President George W. Bush signed a massive 2007 energy bill authorizing the DOE to set energy efficiency standards for light bulbs. These provisions were enthusiastically and aggressively implemented by the Obama administration, including some regulations expanding the reach of these rules that were finalized on January 19, 2017, one day before Donald Trump took office.