To help you understand what is going on in the energy sector and what we expect to happen in the future, our highly-experienced Kiplinger Letter team will keep you abreast of the latest developments and forecasts (Get a free issue of The Kiplinger Letter or subscribe). You'll get all the latest news first by subscribing, but we will publish many (but not all) of the forecasts a few days afterward online. Here’s the latest...
Retail sales of most incandescent lightbulbs are now effectively off limits, with the Department of Energy fully enforcing rules that prohibit the import, manufacture and retail sales of most incandescent bulbs. Such enforcement includes slapping steep financial penalties — $542 per violation — on companies, which would translate into millions of dollars for large orders of incandescent bulbs.
Most, if not all, incandescent bulbs can’t meet new efficiency requirements of 45 lumens per watt, prohibiting them despite the absence of a blanket ban. Note that retailers will no longer be exempt from these regulations, a shift from the previous policy that focused primarily on manufacturers and importers.
Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free E-Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will limit worker exposure to CTC: carbon tetrachloride. A recent proposal, if finalized, would allow the agency to set the chemical exposure limit for CTC at 0.03 parts per million over a period of eight hours for use in manufacturing, recycling and laboratory settings.
CTC is primarily used to manufacture other chemicals. Among them are hydrofluoroolefin refrigerants, aerosol propellants, and chlorinated agricultural products. The chemical has been federally banned in consumer products since the 1970s.
CTC is one of 10 high-priority chemicals the EPA is currently evaluating under amendments made to the Toxic Substances Control Act in 2016. Besides CTC, the agency has proposals for asbestos, methylene chloride and perchloroethylene. Experts think trichloroethylene will be the next chemical on the list addressed.
This forecast first appeared in The Kiplinger Letter, which has been running since 1923 and is a collection of concise weekly forecasts on business and economic trends, as well as what to expect from Washington, to help you understand what’s coming up to make the most of your investments and your money. Subscribe to The Kiplinger Letter.
Related Content
-
Understanding Your Financial Belief SystemIf we can disconnect from our past beliefs and assess our current situation with a certain level of objectivity, we can make more appropriate decisions.
-
Why This Economist Thinks the Fed Is Already Late to Cut RatesMoody's Analytics chief economist Mark Zandi talks to Kiplinger about what he thinks the Federal Reserve is getting wrong on inflation.
-
Car Prices Are Finally Coming DownThe Kiplinger Letter For the first time in years, it may be possible to snag a good deal on a new car.
-
Rising Cyber Threat of AI: The Kiplinger LetterThe Kiplinger Letter Security experts warn that generative AI brings new risks with no clear defenses. With AI's rapid adoption, businesses are vulnerable.
-
Congress Spends Big on Closing the Digital DivideThe Kiplinger Letter A massive spending program is designed to bring high-speed internet to rural and remote locations.
-
Kiplinger Special: The Long-Term Future of the U.S. EconomyThe Kiplinger Letter Kiplinger's report into what it will take the U.S. to maintain a healthy economic growth rate.
-
The Fight Against Cancer Enters a New PhaseThe Kiplinger Letter Breakthrough treatments hold promise for patients and investors.
-
After Decades of Promise, the Virtual Reality Era Has Finally ArrivedThe Kiplinger Letter VR is a paradigm shift for consumer technology. The tech has a long road ahead, but amazing hardware already puts the huge potential on full display.
-
AI to Power the Next Generation of RobotsThe Kiplinger Letter There's increasing buzz that the tech behind ChatGPT will make future industrial and humanoid robots far more capable.
-
The Robots Are Coming... But Not For a While
The Kiplinger Letter There’s excitement in the tech sector over the potential of humanoid robots, but widespread adoption is likely to be years away.
