Dim Bulb, EU gives $7500 fines for light bulb smuggling

Draconian Measures for European Bulb Ban

Washington, DC, September 2, 2009- The European Union has made 100-watt incandescent light bulbs illegal, in an effort to compel citizens to comply with new global warming policies.  Scofflaws will be fined a whopping $7500 for smuggling in the now-illicit bulbs.  

“The dim bulbs in charge of regulating indoor light must realize how unpopular this is,” said CEI Senior Fellow in Energy, Science, and Technology Iain Murray.  “The fact that the Europeans are imposing massive fines on bulb-smuggling indicates that they are worried they are creating a black market.  I worry that soon we’ll see bulb police, inspecting your light fittings in the living room, bathroom and – yes! – the bedroom.”

Critics of the ban are asking if such draconian measures are worth the small reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, noting that the ban will potentially cut yearly CO2 emissions by only about 0.6% in the UK.  Some are even warning that the US may not be far behind, citing the fact that the 2007 energy bill similarly committed the US to phase out incandescent bulbs starting in 2012.

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