Texas CFL Campaign Gets Boost from Energy Bill

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 (Austin – December 19, 2007) President Bush’s signing of the energy bill today provides further support for the “Lighten Up Texas" campaign launched Nov. 30 by seven big-city Texas mayors encouraging Texans to buy compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs).

The following statement can be attributed to Ramon Alvarez, Ph.D., scientist in the Texas office of Environmental Defense: 

“The energy bill provision related to the phasing out of standard, incandescent light bulbs in favor of more energy-efficient light bulbs is a big step. The writing’s on the wall – incandescent bulbs will soon be a thing of the past. Texans can speed the transition by buying CFLs as stocking stuffers or as part of their 2008 New Year’s resolutions. In addition to reduced utility bills, if every Texas household replaced just one 60-watt incandescent light bulb with a CFL, the global warming pollution reduced would be the same as removing 55,000 cars from the road – a string of cars that, end-to-end, would stretch roughly from Austin to Houston.” 

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Environmental Defense, a leading national nonprofit organization, represents more than 500,000 members. Since 1967, Environmental Defense has linked science, economics, law and innovative private-sector partnerships to create breakthrough solutions to the most serious environmental problems.