Sacramento- Assemblymember Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) introduced AB 1109 today, which will direct the California Energy Commission to develop and implement a strategy for reducing California’s electric energy consumption for lighting by 50% by the year 2018.

“California has long been a leader in energy efficiency, recycling, and most recently efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global climate change,” said Huffman.  “We now have the opportunity to apply that same leadership in the effort to significantly increase the efficiency of indoor and outdoor lighting systems.  And in the process we can save California residential and business ratepayers more than three billion dollars ($3 billion) annually in avoided energy costs.”

According to the California Energy Commission, about 20% of California’s current electric energy demand is met from coal. Coal-fired power plants are the single largest source of mercury air pollution, accounting for roughly 40 percent of all mercury emissions nationwide. Mercury is a highly toxic metal that, once released into the atmosphere, settles in lakes and rivers, where it moves up the food chain to humans.  Reducing California’s lighting energy demand by 50 percent is part of the solution to cleaning our air, protecting public health, and preventing global warming.

 “Cutting lighting’s share of California’s energy consumption in half will in and of itself significantly reduce pollution, including Nox, SOx, Mercury and CO2 emissions,” said Huffman.  “Current calculations suggest that this single policy can result in the reduction of more than six million metric tons of C02 emissions.”

 AB 1109 also directs the Department of Toxic Substances Control to develop and implement a schedule for reducing the amounts of mercury and lead in lighting devices. The Europeans have already capped mercury in fluorescent lamps at 5 mgs/device. With some manufacturers already reducing mercury levels well below that level.  It would also require manufactures who sell toxic lighting devices in this state to develop, implement and finance a free and convenient system for recycling these devices.