[Washington, D.C.] Today, Representative Dan Lipinski helped pass the Conference Report on H.R. 1585, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008. The bill, which sets the spendinglevels for next year's Defense budget, includes a Lipinski provision requiring the Department of Defense(DOD) to install high efficiency light bulbs throughout its facilities during the normal course ofmaintenance, or whenever a building is significantly altered or constructed.

"I am pleased that with passage of this bill, the House of Representatives continues its commitment tosecuring America's energy independence," stated Lipinski. "As the largest energy consumer in the UnitedStates, the federal government must take advantage of all available tools to reduce its energy consumption,and my provision will certainly help to achieve this goal.

"High efficiency light bulbs, such as compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), use approximately 75 percentless energy than standard incandescent bulbs and last approximately 8 to 10 times longer. Replacing anordinary bulb with a CFL could save up to $74 in energy costs over the bulb's lifetime. Even higherefficiency light bulbs are close to commercial application including a new generation of halogen bulbsand new light-emitting diodes (LED).

"When you consider that the DOD has over 240,000 buildings in the U.S. alone, it is clear that my provision is a practical way to make significant progress in lowering energy consumption, reducinggreenhouse gas emissions, and promoting energy independence, while at the same time saving millions ofAmerican taxpayer dollars," said Lipinski. "It's a win for the environment, a win for national security,and a win for American taxpayers.

"This effort builds on Rep. Lipinski's success last week in adding his BRIGHT Energy Savings Act toH.R. 6, the Energy Independence and Security Act which passed the House of Representatives. Thisprovision directs the General Services Administration (GSA) to install high efficiency bulbs in all GSAfederal buildings, which includes approximately 1,800 facilities with at least 3 million lights that could beupgraded to high efficiency bulbs under the amendment.

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