Washington State’s proposed lighting legislation, House Bill E2SHB 1185, advanced out of the house on a 52/45 split vote. The bill, aimed at banning the sale of all linear fluorescent lights beginning in 2029, would affect every business and residential consumer as they will be forced to switch to a different form of lighting after that date. In addition to the lighting ban, many Washingtonians and businesses could incur additional costs to change out their light fixtures to accommodate new lighting products.
Additionally, the advancement of this legislation jumps ahead of the Joint Legislative Administrative Review Committee’s data collection process and report, which is not due until later this year. The absence of conclusive evidence underscores the need for informed decision-making. Without concrete data-backed insights, rushing into such a significant legislative change risks adverse repercussions for businesses and consumers alike.
Further exacerbating concerns is the limited stakeholder engagement in the bill’s development process. More time and genuine stakeholder involvement from all sides should be given before enacting a law like this.
The bill is scheduled for a public hearing in the Senate Environment, Energy & Technology Committee on February 14. WR is working very closely with other interest groups on this bill and will be testifying our concerns.
