VICTORIA – British Columbia’s ban on certain types of incandescent light bulbs will remain in place despite news Ottawa is getting set to postpone a set of similar federal restrictions, Minister of Energy Rich Coleman said Thursday.
“We’re very keen on the energy savings we can get out of some of this stuff. The cheapest power we can get is what we conserve,” said Coleman, adding B.C. has been leading the country on the incandescent bulb issue.
“[The new bulbs] are energy efficient and they last longer,” he said.
“These things work.”
This past January, the B.C. government implemented a ban on 75W and 100W incandescent bulbs, leading some to stock up on the old bulbs before they were no longer available.
Stores across the province were allowed to sell remaining stock of the bulbs at the time, but were restricted from ordering any new ones.
Under current restrictions, consumers are not limited to just compact fluorescent bulbs, but can also use eligible halogen lamps and certain LED bulbs.
B.C. – the only province in Canada that has a ban on incandescent bulbs – plans to introduce similar restrictions on 40W and 60W incandescent bulbs starting Dec. 31, 2012.
The restrictions were initially introduced, the province said at the time, to prepare for a similar federal program originally set to begin Jan. 1, 2012.
But that federal program may now be on hold.
In a notice of a proposed regulatory change issued April 16, in the middle of the election campaign, the federal government proposed delaying the start of the ban by two years.
Instead of getting rid of 100W and 75W incandescent bulbs by Jan. 1, 2012, the deadline would be Jan. 1, 2014.
The Dec. 31, 2012 deadline for 60W and 40W light bulbs would be pushed back to Dec. 31, 2014.
The federal government said in its proposal it needs more time to allow for technological innovations and to deal with concerns about compact fluorescent lamps. Traditional incandescent bulbs are considered less energy efficient because much of their energy escapes as heat rather than as light.
But concerns have also been raised about the CFL bulbs, in large part because improperly discarded bulbs can release harmful mercury into landfills and watersheds.
New Democratic Party energy critic John Horgan supported the government when it moved to ban incandescent bulbs, but says provincial legislators did not have all the information at the time that debate took place.
“Since that time, new information has come to light with respect to mercury levels – issues around the toxicity around these new compact fluorescents – that’s raised concerns from many many people around British Columbia,” he said Thursday, adding he believes the province should keep a close eye on the proposed federal review.
“If the federal government comes up with evidence that demonstrates the downside of CFLs is far greater than the upsides then we should have the policy scrapped,” he added.
Coleman said he is comfortable with the steps taken.
“I think we’ve figured out how to handle these things in the recycling process.”
In its proposal, the federal government says it has not yet succeeded in selling Canadians on the change or allaying concerns about the potential impact of compact fluorescent lamps on health and the environment. It says a two-year delay will give it a chance to convince Canadians that the new rules don’t dictate a particular technology, that there are a number of different alternatives to incandescent lights and that compact fluorescent lamps aren’t a health risk.
Meanwhile, Environment Canada will draft regulations that will require manufacturers and importers of lamps containing mercury to develop a program to recycle them. The proposed regulations are expected to be published by the end of 2011 and implemented in 2012.
Instead of phasing out incandescent bulbs ahead of the U.S., Canada will now be behind the U.S. in getting rid of all four wattages of bulbs.
The U.S. is scheduled to get rid of 100W bulbs on Jan. 1, 2012, 75W bulbs on Jan. 1, 2013, and 60W and 40W bulbs on Jan. 1, 2014.
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