One New Hampshire man is standing up against the Biden administration’s green agenda by refusing to let his collection of nearly 5,000 incandescent light bulbs go to waste.
Kevin Szmyd, a collector from New Hampshire, appeared on “The Bottom Line” to share the story behind his impressive supply of light bulbs, which could cost him over $2.6 million in fines if he were to sell them all.
“I’m planning on using them,” Szmyd stated emphatically during his interview. “Even if the Energy Department did get my $2.6 million, I’m pretty sure it would just go to waste anyways.”
The federal government’s ban on incandescent light bulbs took effect this past August, more than a decade and a half after it was first proposed to promote energy efficiency.
Initially issued in 2007 after the passage of the Energy Independence and Security Act, the rule was to take effect in 2012 but was delayed and later broadened during the Obama administration before it was ultimately reversed by the Trump administration.
Szmyd is not alone in his frustration with the new policy. The collector revealed that he has received several inquiries from people hoping to take a few light bulbs off his hands.
“I have actually gotten some comments of people asking for light bulbs. They say, ‘Oh, I don’t like the yellow filaments in the new LEDs’ or, you know, ‘I just don’t like the glow of the new LEDs in comparison to the incandescents.’ I’ve only really given out a couple though. I would say most of the interest I have received has been polite rather than legitimately inquisitive,” he explained.
When the Biden administration announced the ban, Szmyd utilized online resources such as Craigslist, eBay, and Facebook Marketplace to acquire as many incandescent light bulbs as he could.
“I reached out to most people selling bulbs within a 250-mile radius, and most were more than happy to hand them over. A lot of people were looking to switch over to LEDs and were trying to get rid of their old stock. So, I took advantage of that and managed to get excellent prices on all these bulbs,” he continued.
Co-host Sean Duffy chimed in, arguing that consumers should have the freedom to choose the products that work for them at the price they want, rather than being forced to abide by a ban.
Szmyd agreed, adding, “Isn’t that what America is all about? Being able to choose for myself?”
“What other country on this planet says that we should be able to make our own decisions? If we can’t make decisions for ourselves in the United States, where can we exactly?” he pondered.
Szmyd’s dedication to his collection and his strong stance against the ban on incandescent light bulbs serves as a reminder of the importance of individual freedoms in our society. As Americans, we should have the right to make our own choices and decisions without government interference.