Last night on WCCO, in one of his “In The Know” segments, Don Shelby uncorked an absolute beauty, talking about the bill Rep. Bachmann introduced to roll back the mandated conversion to energy-efficient light bulbs.

You can watch the segment here. Here is the text.

The Congresswoman has introduced a bill called the “Light Bulb Freedom of Choice Act.” The conservative, first-term Republican wants all this business about government regulation just to stop.

If this light bulb thing isn’t nipped in the bud, what’s next? Federal air and water quality regulations?

She says the new bulbs have mercury in them. She’s right — a little, and recycling is the answer. In fact, Xcel will reimburse you if you recycle.

What the Congresswoman fails to mention is that the bulbs last four times as long, and use one-fourth the energy of the old kind of bulbs. The less electricity used, the lower the amount of mercury spewed up a smokestack of a coal-fired power plant and the fewer fish will be killed by mercury.

But she may be right about the creeping influence of government. Before you know it, somebody is going to make a law that we put on our seat belts.

Please do not operate heavy machinery while you read/watch this.

(Before we dive in, note the reference to “conservative” first-term Republican. For 100 points and the win, please find me references where Shelby refers to “liberal” government officials.)

There is concern about the mercury in the bulbs. This was in the Bangor News a month ago,

Maine environmental officials have revised their recommendations for cleaning up shattered compact fluorescent lights based on new studies that examined the amount of mercury released when the popular energy-saving bulbs break.

From the Business and Media Institute in December,

But while Davidson mentioned one drawback of CFLs – that their “yellowish tints” are annoying to some eyes – he failed to mention the major flaw of the new technology: mercury. Mercury, a toxic metal famously found in thermometers, helps create the increased efficiency of a CFL bulb. If the bulb breaks, the small amount of mercury can contaminate the area.

The Financial Post reported in April that a broken CFL bulb cost a Maine woman more than $2,000 to clean when the state Department of Environmental Protection referred her to a cleanup company. At $5 in energy savings per bulb per month (as Davidson reported), one broken bulb could eat up 33 years’ worth of savings!

The federal EPA doesn’t recommend professional cleanup for a broken bulb. It recommends you open a window, leave the room for 15 minutes, then put on some rubber gloves, scoop up the broken bits and seal them in a plastic bag, then put that bag in another plastic bag before throwing it out. Then wash your hands. But don’t worry, Tree Hugger – which calls itself the “leading media outlet dedicated to driving sustainability mainstream” – says the bulbs aren’t dangerous despite those recommended measures.

(Here’s a Canada.com story about that woman in Maine.)

Timothy Carney wrote in December,

As reported previously in this column, the energy bill was loaded up with all sorts of favors for energy companies, manufacturers and other corporate bigwigs. The light bulb law follows the same pattern: A regulation touted as an environmental boon that will have dubious benefits to the planet, real costs to consumers and guaranteed profits for a handful of well-connected corporations.
…
Today, the clear successor to Thomas Edison’s incandescent bulb is the compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL). CFLs are more expensive, but they last longer and use less electricity. They have real downsides, however.

First, the light is not as attractive to many consumers — a problem with which the industry has struggled for years. Second, they take a little time after you flip the switch to reach full brightness.

Third, most CFLs can’t be used with dimmer switches or three-way fixtures. Fourth, the bulbs contain mercury, creating a potential health hazard in case of breakage and an environmental hazard for disposal.
….
These companies will get rich thanks to energy bill, but it’s not clear the public or the environment will share the windfall GE and Philips will experience. GE makes its CFLs and other fancy light bulbs in China, while it makes its incandescents in the United States.

The light bulb law will ship more American jobs offshore, shift manufacturing to China’s dirtier and less efficient factories, and increase shipping distances. Add in the mercury, and it’s not clear how good this law is for the environment. Its clearest benefit is to the companies who lobbied for it.

But, never mind all that. I’m sure Shelby was truly attempting an objective look at all facets of this issue, rather than just snarking about the “conservative” Representative.

Update: I suppose I should note another of Bachmann’s bete noires, the Strib’s Blog House column, today takes a swipe at her, too.

After more than a year in the U.S. House, Rep. Michele Bachmann has finally found an issue worth her time and effort: The defense of traditional light bulbs.

Back in the 2006 election, the Blog House and WCCO teamed up to give Bachmann a one-two punch in the WCCO debate.