George F. Will and opponents of our "bright idea" haven't managed to flip on the light switch ["Climate Change's Dim Bulbs," op-ed, April 2]. We helped craft the legislation about which Mr. Will complains, and we can help shed some light on his confusion.

We designed a national energy-efficiency standard specifically so that the compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) that Mr. Will and others gripe about are not the only efficient bulbs available. The standard we set can be met by American-made bulbs that don't contain mercury, are long-lasting, are dimmable and provide the quality of light we've come to enjoy. Some of these bulbs -- most notably halogens -- are available to consumers now.

Others, such as super-efficient light-emitting diodes (LEDs), should be on the market by 2014.

The benefits of switching to these new bulbs are self-evident. Current incandescent bulbs on store shelves are obsolete and highly inefficient -- only 10 percent of the energy consumed by each bulb is for light, and 90 percent is wasted on heat. Today's incandescents employ the same technology as the bulbs Thomas Edison created more than 120 years ago. By upgrading to 21st-century technology, we will help preserve energy resources and reduce emissions, all the while saving American families billions of dollars in their electric bills.

Naysayers aside, in a few short years, every home will be on the front lines of reducing pollution and saving energy -- one light bulb at a time.

FRED UPTON
U.S. Representative (R-Mich.)

JANE HARMAN
U.S. Representative (D-Calif.)