March/April 2021 | Vol. 26 No. 2

by Alex Boesenberg, Director of Regulatory Affairs, NEMA

Looking back over 2020 in terms of regulatory action there were many ups and downs.
Overall, the pace of global regulations slowed, at least temporarily, as the coronavirus pandemic took hold and legislative and regulatory bodies shifted operations to more online and virtual processes. At some point after April 2020, all regulatory bodies resumed activities. Some were slowed, while others only stumbled and recovered.

On the state legislative and regulatory outlook, several States adopted small legislative packages of Standards for high color-rendering index (CRI) fluorescent lamps impact resistant fluorescent lamps and definitions for general service lamps (GSL). These packages were all very similar, having been developed and promoted over the past several years by energy-efficiency advocacies. Many times, NEMA was able to argue Federal preemption, or, in the case of GSL scope definitions, active litigation uncertainty, to prevent bills from proceeding. For Oregon, Washington, the District of Columbia, and Nevada, these bills made it through legislative approval in some form. As 2021 begins, several additional States have also begun recycling older GSL and fluorescent bills.

As 2021 unfolds and new policies emerge and carry through to action, NEMA will be intimately involved to advocate for and defend the interests of NEMA Member manufacturing and products. ei