DC beat NJ to this ban, and why we should thank them for it

Ah yes, a ban on something. Why does that sound so familiar to us here in New Jersey?

Perhaps it's because we have our fair share of bans in the Garden State now, with more to come. The most obvious one is our self-service gas ban.

But that ban is something most New Jerseyans welcome. Let's face it, those of us who'd like the option for self-serve gas are outnumbered.

Although that could change in the future, let's save that debate for another day. The point is, that's one ban a lot of us in New Jersey are actually OK with.

But there is another one that passed not too long ago that more New Jerseyans were against. Probably because this ban affected how we shop throughout the great Garden State.

That ban, of course, is the ban on plastic bags. Although most of us have gotten used to it by now, it doesn't mean everyone's happy with it.

And let's not forget the plastic straw ban. The two go hand in hand with a decent amount of opposition from the average New Jersey citizen.

So as you can tell New Jersey is no stranger to banning everyday items. With that said, this latest ban isn't something that came from New Jersey, if you could believe it.

In fact, this ban was passed by our federal government. But let's not fool ourselves, New Jersey would've done this if it had the chance.

It's the ban on incandescent light bulbs. In its simplest of terms, it's all part of the push for cleaner energy.

Whether or not you agree with this decision, it's actually a good thing for New Jersey. Yes, incandescent light bulbs use a lot more energy when compared to their LED counterparts, but it's more than that.

A ban on incandescent light bulbs will actually help us prepare for more bans New Jersey will experience down the road. How, you might ask? Well, all you need to do is look at that huge ban that's potentially only years away.

Ban on gas-powered automobiles

Yes, as most of us know by now, New Jersey will be banning the sale of new gas-powered vehicles in the not-so-distant future. But what does that have to do with light bulbs?

It's simple. LED light bulbs use up significantly less energy when compared to incandescent light bulbs. And with so many electric vehicles needing to be charged, LED bulbs will help ease the burden on what will soon be higher electric bills.

Think about how much more energy you'll have to go through to charge your electric car sitting in your driveway. Having LED bulbs will at least help put a dent in that electric usage.

That ban, at the moment, is set to take place in 2035. With that said, there is another potential ban on the horizon that LED bulbs could also help keep your electric bills a tad lower.

Ban on gas-powered stoves

As of August 2023, there is no ban on gas-powered stoves in New Jersey. But banning them is currently a topic of discussion both locally and in our nation's capital.

If it were to happen, that would mean more electricity would need to be used to power your oven. That, of course, would also put a bigger strain on your electricity usage.

But once again, those LED bulbs could help put a dent into that electric bill if that were to happen. Hopefully, it doesn't, but you get the point.

And all of those potential changes, should they all happen, bring us to another big question involving our infrastructure.

Prepping the power grid

Will New Jersey's aging power grid be up to the challenge of such heavy power usage? At least our light bulbs will help take the strain off our already-dated system.

Of course, our power grid should get some much-needed upgrades in advance before our gas-powered car ban goes into effect. Hopefully, that incandescent light bulb ban will help.

And then there's the obvious. Would New Jersey have banned incandescent light bulbs anyway?

The feds did the job for us

Whether or not you agree, there are good odds New Jersey would've implemented a ban like this on their own if the feds weren't already planning it.

Even before talks of this ban officially began, incandescent light bulbs were already being phased out. And at least a reasonable amount of time passed by to plan such a phase-out like this.

As for New Jersey's gas-powered car ban? As of now, it's hard to see how that will take shape in just over 10 years' time.

At least the incandescent light bulb ban will help take some of the strain off New Jersey's electric infrastructure. And that, in turn, should help support the power grid for when that massive increase of electric vehicles is forced upon us in The Garden State.

So for that reason, we should really thank the federal government for doing something that'll at least help us out when electric everything becomes the only option in New Jersey. Not that we asked for any of this, of course.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 Sunday morning host Mike Brant. Any opinions expressed are his own.