Page 44 - Lighting Magazine November 2019

REGULATION
ROUND-UP
A guide to some of the biggest changes in regulations and standards impacting residential lighting.*
BY DAVID SHILLER
Lighting regulations and standards have a large impact on the lighting industry. Regulations such as Califor- nia Title 24 and Department of Energy (DOE)’s General Service Lamp final rule set minimum performance requirements that manufacturers can’t ignore. While standards such as ENERGY STAR, UL safety, and
NEMA/ANSI are voluntary in name, when the market comes to expect it, changes in standards can have a similar impact to changes in law. At the same time, U.S. tariff policy raises product costs and/or leads to disruptions in the global supply chain.
u.S. FederaL
According to Michael Weems, VP/Government Engagement for the American Lighting Association (ALA), “Today, the most pressing issues are tariffs, GSL rule-making, and Prop 65. Tariffs are, by far, the number one issue for all [ALA] membership categories.”
As of press time, U.S. tariff policy with China seems to be changing every week with escalating tariffs and delaying effective dates. ( To get the latest on U.S. tariff policy affecting the lighting industry, go to www.enlightenmentmag.com and search tariffs, or visit the ALA’s tariffs page at https://alamembers. com/Government-Engagement/Tariffs.
Weems notes, “The U.S. imports roughly $550 bil- lion worth of goods from China annually. Presently,
additional tariffs, as part of the trade war, have been placed on the vast majority of the $550 billion. By the end of the year, it is expected that the entire amount will have additional tariffs.”
Weems adds, “Despite reports, the tariffs have cost Americans. The costs include loss of R&D and innovation, loss of jobs, and higher prices on goods. Manufacturers have been scrambling, almost daily, trying to keep up with all of the tweets, adjusting price sheets. This volatility has created confusion and uncertainty for showrooms, specifiers, and ulti- mately consumers.”
In early September, the U.S. DOE issued a final rulemaking on general service lamps (GSL) and general service incandescent lamps (GSIL). DOE reversed an earlier Obama-era plan to expand the
42 enLIGHTenment magazine | november 2019
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