Other companies may exploit regulatory uncertainty and continue to sell the 100-watt bulbs, leaving manufacturers that comply at a disadvantage, Pitsor told reporters today on a conference call with organizations that support the efficiency standard. He didn't name those companies.
The provision creates "confusion in the market for every American who is interested in securing their own energy savings for their families and their communities," Philips said in an e-mailed statement.
State attorneys general can seek to ensure compliance with the federal law, Kateri Callahan, president of the Alliance to Save Energy, a Washington-based group that promotes efficiency standards with funding from companies including Exelon Corp. and Dow Chemical Co., said on the conference call.
The U.S. transition to more efficient lighting standards may take longer than it otherwise would have, David Goldston, director of government affairs for the New York-based Natural Resources Defense Council, which supports the efficiency law, said on the call.
While incandescent bulbs are cheaper to buy, they cost consumers more in the long run because they burn out faster than the alternatives and use more energy, advocates say.
Halting the phaseout would jeopardize $12.5 billion in consumer savings by 2020, according to a study by the Washington-based American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.
"The question is, who is in favor of wasting energy?" Callahan said.
The bulb provision is in a spending bill for fiscal 2012. The measure is H.R. 2055.