Westrom fights federal bulb law

Rep. Torrey Westrom, R-Elbow Lake, wants to draw attention, and fight, a federal plan to stop the sale of traditional incandescent light bulbs.

He authored a bill that would exempt Minnesota from a federal law that he says essentially phases out incandescent bulbs as the country transitions to bulbs that use less energy.

The Westrom bill would allow light bulbs made in Minnesota to be used in Minnesota.

"A lot of people are unaware this ban of our everyday light bulbs is coming," Westrom said. "We should to take note that our federal government's meddling has reached the point where now Washington is telling us what light bulbs we use. This intrusion into the free market and our lives can't be tolerated, regardless of the product."

Westrom said he knows of no Minnesota factory that makes bulbs, but his bill could lead to one opening.

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