When Congress voted for the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, they failed to recognize the unintended consequences of mandating Americans to buy compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) and light-emitting diodes (LEDs).
Not only has China succeeded in getting the United States to move its light bulb manufacturing overseas, but they have also gained a monopoly on rare earth elements (REE), which is driving up the product's cost."China mines about 97% of the world's 17 rare earth elements, but restricts exports, causing prices for those elements to spike by more than 1,000% in the past year," the Pittsburg Tribune Review reports.
These elements are not only needed to make CFLs and LEDs, but they are also essential to making consumer products such as plasma TVs, iPhones, wind turbines, X-ray machines, and high-tech military equipment.
Because Congress mandated that Americans buy CFLs and LEDs, consumers are now being forced to pay ever-increasing high prices just to light their homes and businesses.
"Beijing's theft of U.S. intellectual property has become epidemic, the regime has 'encouraged' U.S. REE-dependent foreign manufacturers to relocate to China, which robbed American jobs, and Beijing keeps its currency undervalued, which fuels our trade imbalance," Human Events reports.
"Prior to the 1990s, the U.S. was the global leader in REE production. That changed because we failed to think strategically about our manufacturing base and because we naively relied on market forces alone. Meanwhile, China used its Most Favored Nation status (MFN) and World Trade Organization (WTO) market access to create a global REE monopoly with a combination of cheap labor, virtually nonexistent environmental standards, and state-subsidized loans."
CLICK HERE to blast faxes to every member Congress to demand that they continue the battle to repeal the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, because the end result is that American workers have lost their jobs, and consumers are being fleeced because the price of CFLs is soaring!
AS ALWAYS, You can also CLICK HERE to send a FREE message directly to YOUR U.S. Representative and Senators!
Lost jobs:
General Electric (GE), closed its last incandescent light bulb factory in Winchester, Virginia, in October 2010because the legislation that Congress passed in 2007 phases out and bans traditional light bulbs by 2015. Thus, the factories that were once used to make incandescent light bulbs are now closed.
GE told its employees that because it would be too expensive to retrofit its U.S. factories to make the labor-intensive CFLs and LEDs, the company had to lay off its American employees and move its factories to Chinaand Mexico. (Workers at the Winchester factory offered to take cuts in pay and benefits if they could keep their jobs, but GE declined that offer.)
The government's mandate has led to a crisis, because prices of government mandated light bulbs are increasing, and because U.S. manufacturers moved their factories to China, abandoning their domestic plants.
In an effort to explain what the REE crisis means for American consumers, GE published a report in June that says:
"In less than 12 months, costs of some rare earth oxide materials used in lighting products have experienced increases ranging from 500% to more than 2,000%, and they continue to climb. For perspective, if the rate of inflation on the rare earth element europium oxide were applied to a $2 cup of coffee, the new cost would be $24.55."
Because the government's mandate effectively bans 100-watt incandescent light bulbs in January 2012; seventy-five-watt bulbs in 2013, and 60- and 40-watt lamps by 2015, consumers' are paying higher prices for products that, in this economy, they simply cannot afford.
The New York Times is reporting that: "The average price for fluorescent bulbs has risen 37% this year, according to the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA)." This is because rare earths: yttrium, europium and terbium, are used to make government-mandated light bulbs.
CLICK HERE TO SEND FAXES to every member Congress and DEMAND that they ACT NOW to save American consumers from the high costs of the government's light bulb mandate. Congress must repeal the mandate, because Americans cannot afford to pay for expensive CFLs and LEDs to light their homes!
AS ALWAYS, You can also CLICK HERE to send a FREE message directly to YOUR U.S. Representative and Senators!
The cost:
If you want to know what China, along with the actions of members of Congress is costing you, just walk around your home and count all of the light bulbs that you use: lamps, ceiling fans, bathrooms, kitchen, garage, and then calculate your cost for CFLs. Next, if you've decided that CFLs aren't for you, and you want to use LEDs instead, add an additional $10 to $40 to the price of each bulb, because LEDs cost between $22 and $55 each.
Not only did the "green jobs" eco-fraud activists lie to Americans by saying that this act would increase the American workforce, but we were also told that these bulbs would be safe, affordable, and efficient. Instead, the price for toxic light bulbs is going up astronomically!
So what are rare earth elements, you ask?
"Rare earths are a group of 17 metallic elements with very unique properties that are widely used in energy and lighting technologies. ... In lighting, rare earth oxides are used for the creation of white light from the UV radiation generated within fluorescent lamps," according to the GE report.
"Although rare earths are found throughout the world, almost all rare earth production is concentrated in China, which imposes quotas on its rare earth exports every year. As demand for rare earths continues to grow in line with growth in green technologies, supply continues to decline."
Rare earths are not rare, because they are found in 90% of the world, but since the manufacturing of the bulbs is done in China, the minerals would still have to be shipped to foreign factories for the production of CFLs and LEDs.
CLICK HERE to blast faxes to every member Congress to demand that they continue the battle to repeal the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, because the end result is that American workers have lost their jobs, and consumers are being fleeced because the price of CFLs and LEDs is soaring!
Although the BULB Act, which would have repealed the government's light bulb mandate failed, Rep. MarshaBlackburn (R-TN) and her colleagues in the House, were able to push these mandates back by one year, but the provision in the act that bans 100-watt incandescents will start in January - this is just two months away!
What Americans can do to repeal the ban on incandescent bulbs:
China's threat, along with the harm the Energy Independence and Security Act has imposed on American workers and consumers, are reasons enough to demand that members of Congress continue to push for the repeal of the intrusive, regulation-happy restrictions that are phasing out traditional and inexpensive incandescent light bulbs.
We also cannot ignore the fact that the U.S. government's regulations governing light bulbs are already affecting Christians in China who are working in forced labor camps to meet the West's high demand for CFLs and LEDs. (Reports reveal that Christian pastors in China have been arrested and are working in forced labor camps to make LED Christmas lights that are sold in the U.S.).
CFLs harmful effects on health:
Britain's Health Protection Agency was the first to confirm consumers' claims that exposure to CFLs was making them sick.
Consumers in the United States, Canada, England and Europe have been complaining about headaches, skin burns, rashes, and neurological problems caused by CFLs because they emit ultraviolet radiation and electrical and magnetic field emissions, or DIRTY ENERGY.
Health Canada tested the UV levels in CFLs and released a report stating that it was found that some people are extremely sensitive to UV and may be affected by the amount of UV produced. This includes people withautoimmune diseases, like Lupus, and those with sensitive skin.
British and Canadian health warnings also state that adults should never be closer than 1 foot to a CFL-and thatexposure should be limited to one hour.
CFLs contain carcinogenic toxins, including phenol, naphthalene and styrene. Researcher Peter Braun, who carried out tests on CFLs at the independent Berlin Alab Laboratory, said: "For such carcinogenic substances, it is important they are kept as far away as possible from the human environment," the UK Express reports. Braun added that the bulbs are especially harmful if they are left on near a child's head, or if they are used in close proximity to adults who use the light for reading.
CLICK HERE to blast faxes to every member Congress to demand that they continue the battle to repeal the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, because the end result is that American workers have lost their jobs, and consumers are being fleeced because the price of CFLs and LEDs is soaring!
While it was known that harmful amounts of mercury are released if one of the new 'green' bulbs breaks, experts discovered they also emit several carcinogenic chemicals. The EPA itself has issued new warnings about mercury, yet is mute on the use of toxic mercury in CFLs.
The carcinogenic toxin phenol is a poison that was used by the Nazis to kill concentration camp victims-and naphthalene and styrene are released as a form of steam when the CFL is switched on.
Last year, the Canadian Broadcasting Network reported that a Trent University study revealed that DIRTY ELECTRICITY produced by CFLs can cause diabetics' blood sugar levels to increase, heighten neurological symptoms for people who have Multiple Sclerosis (MS), and cause breathing problems for asthmatics.
CFLs, a fluorescent light bulb invention that was once believed to be an energy and environmental solution toAmerica's problems, is quickly becoming a more expensive and dangerous alternative. CFLs produce high levels of electromagnetic pollution, producing electromagnetic frequencies between 400 and 800, whereas safe incandescent bulbs emit EMF levels of less than 50. CFLs can cause headaches and eye strain, and can hinder productivity for those who are dyslexic or suffer from attention deficit disorders (ADD/ADHD).
As the government's mandates take effect, the demand for CFLs will continue to grow. And according to the Association of Lighting and Mercury Recyclers, only 2% of residential consumers and one-third of businesses recycle these light bulbs; thus causing landfills to release more than 4 tons of mercury annually into the atmosphere and in storm water runoff, according to a study in the Journal of the Air and Waste Management Association.
LEDs, the alternative, are more expensive for consumers, and according to the Wall Street Journal, will cost consumers between $20 to $55 each.
We must ACT NOW to urge members of Congress to REPEAL the 2007 green energy benchmark that is hurting consumers and the American workforce!
CLICK HERE to blast faxes to tell Congress to repeal the Energy Independence and Security Act!
Members of Congress must hear from you TODAY!
Sincerely,
Conservative Action Alerts
www.Conservative Action Alerts.com
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