[Washington, D.C.]  Today, the House of Representatives unanimously approved an amendment offered by Congressman Dan Lipinski that would require the Department of Defense to begin using high efficiency light bulbs.  The amendment was offered to H.R. 1585, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008, which sets the spending levels for next year’s Defense budget. 

“At a time when we are working to move a new energy plan forward, this amendment is a rare win, win, win opportunity,” stated Lipinski. 

High efficiency light bulbs, such as compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), use approximately 75 percent less energy than standard incandescent bulbs and last approximately 8 to 10 times longer.  Replacing an ordinary bulb with a CFL could save up to $74 in energy costs over the bulb's lifetime.  Even higher efficiency light bulbs are close to commercial application including a new generation of halogen bulbs and new light-emitting diode (LED).

“When you consider that the DOD has over 240,000 buildings in the U.S. alone, it is clear that this amendment is a practical way to make significant progress in lowering energy consumption, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and promoting energy independence, while at the same time saving millions of American taxpayer dollars,” said Lipinski during floor debate.

Congressman Lipinski’s amendment – cosponsored by Rep. Inglis (SC), Rep. Markey (MA), and Rep. Kirk (IL) – directs the Department of Defense to install high efficiency light bulbs during the normal course of maintenance, or whenever a building is significantly altered or constructed.  To make sure the requirement does not interfere with national security, the Secretary of Defense is given flexibility in determining instances in which the use of energy efficient lighting is not feasible.