Lawmakers Want Daylight-Saving Time Change

[Rose Siding]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A House committee voted on Wednesday to expand U.S. daylight-saving time by two months to help reduce energy consumption, but rejected a plan to shave total U.S. oil demand by 1 million barrels a day.

Both proposals were offered as amendments to be tacked on to a broad energy bill that was debated by the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

The panel agreed in a voice vote to move the start of daylight-saving time in the United States -- which occurs when clocks are turned forward by one hour -- one month earlier to the first Sunday in March. The end of daylight time would be moved back one month to the last Sunday in November.

Supporters of the amendment, sponsored by Michigan Republican Fred Upton, said it would save about 10,000 barrels of oil a day because offices and stores would be open while it was still light outside and therefore use less energy.

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2005/04/07/lawmakers_want_daylight_saving_time_change/

[GoddessOfGuinness]

1. deleting with apologies

See post 2 for an explanation...

[Rose Siding]

2. Oh GoG!

I'm sorry, I posted that article in the wrong forum and changed it while you were reading.

Here's the link to the piece
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A31852-2005Apr6.html

[MuseRider]

3. Thanks

I was reading an interesting article on energy and then went :wtf:?
Ha Ha. A twofer, energy and germs. Thanks.

[Horse with no Name]

5. I choked on my cracker

but I'm all better now.:)

[Kimber Scott]

4. It looks like you're asking if that animal is the germ that afflicted

notsamj!

[rzemanfl]

6. And lots of kids will be hit by cars when they go to school in the

dark in the morning, just like in the 1970's, but if it saves oil, screw'em, right? Gotta keep the Aviator fueled.

[shraby]

7. If my children were young, I certainly wouldn't

want them walking anyplace in the dark that's outside the yard. Too many nut-jobs running around.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

9. You make an excellent point

and I hope a lot of angry parents take Congress to task on it.

[starroute]

18. The starting and ending points are not symmetrical

At present daylight savings time ends less than two months before the winter solstice but starts more than three months after. I think they should move the starting point back to the last weekend of February but leave the ending point alone. I don't know why it isn't like that already.

And I love daylight savings time. It's great to be able to go back out again after dinner and know that you've still got a couple of hours of daylight left to garden or walk or do other outdoor activities. Spring and summer wouldn't be the same without it.

[ozone_man]

37. I won a bet on that once.

He just didn't believe that it could be as asymmetrical as it was. I think moving the start date up to the point of symmetry would be an easy sell. There would be some resistance in trying to move the end date.

[Joe the Revelator]

44. Ok, I normally try to find something wrong with republicans also....

But this is a solution that doesn't involve drilling off the coast, drilling in ANWAR,going to war, ect. Its actually a pretty smarty idea.

[rzemanfl]

52. A better idea would be to permanently park their SUVs. n/t

[NYC]

53. What do you mean by

"just like in the 1970s"? Did we have some change to daylight savings then? I don't remember it.

[trackfan]

54. They moved the start to February for a year or two

during the First Energy Crises which began in 1973. I think it may have started early in '74 and '75, then back to normal in '76.

[rzemanfl]

57. Believe it or not, we were both right on this, from Wikipedia:

Year-round Daylight Saving Time was implemented: At 2:00 AM local time on January 6, 1974, clocks were advanced one hour across the nation; the move spawned significant criticism because it forced many children to commute to school before sunrise. As a result, the clocks were turned back on the last Sunday in October as originally scheduled, and in 1975 clocks were set forward one hour at 2:00 AM on February 23, the later date being adopted to address the aforementioned issue. The pre-existing daylight-saving rules, calling for the clocks to be advanced one hour on the last Sunday in April, were restored in 1976 (this date being changed to the first Sunday in April in 1987).

So we were both correct, sort of.

I had forgotten about the only buying gas on odd or even dates depending on the last digit of your plate number. That was in the days before vanity plates...

[NYC]

60. Even being told that this happened

doesn't trigger my memory. I don't remember a thing about it. I remember Jimmy Carter wearing sweaters, and saying turn down the thermostat, odd number or even number gas lines, but I don't remember a change in daylight savings time. Odd.

[rzemanfl]

63. 1970's not 1980's. n/t

[rzemanfl]

56. In the early 1970's we had year-round daylight time, a 55 mile an

hour national speed limit, etc. Nixon years. Oil embargo was the cause.

[NYC]

59. I remember the 55 mile speed limit.

That was supposed to help gas consumption tremedously. I have absolutely no memory of the time change being different.

[rzemanfl]

62. The year-round daylight thing didn't stick. I posted some info

on that in this thread if you are interested.

[hezekkia]

58. maybe kids shouldn't be forced to go to school at 5am

that's too damned early!

[Milspec]

61. 5 am?

Sunrise in northern areas is about 8:00 pm!

Personally I hate daylight savings time. I'm a morning person.

[aquart]

10. T welve billion computers explode.

Hope Microsoft is working on the patch.

[Trillo]

45. Bet it's only a patch for the currently supported operating systems.

Got an old one like win98? Hmm. $$$

Time to upgrade to the closed-source XP.

[Morose]

46. I HATE DAYLIGHT SAVINGS!

If children need like in the morning then give it to them. THEN LEAVE IT THERE. Arizona lives just fine without this semi-annual bit of clock changing obnoxiousness. It's time for the rest of the country to stop inducing sleep shock every 6 months and just leave the clocks the hell alone.

really...I feel that strongly about it :D

[PunkPop]

66. I am with YOU

Hate it. Hate it. Hate it.

My parents live in Arizona. I lived there for awhile too. One of the only things I liked about it.

It's not even daylight savings time per se. I don't care whether it's DST or "regular" time. Just leave the freaking clock where it is!

Want to save 10,000 barrels of oil a day? Start working on alternative energy. Start setting more rigorous standards for carmakers. Leave my sleep patterns alone!

[woosh]

55. This will be a nightmare for me.

[happyslug]

11. Hershey and Nestle will fight this to the death

They is NO WAY they are going to leave Halloween be held in Daylights Saving time. Both (and other candy makers) have studies that show that if it is light out less children stay out Trick and Treating. There is something about Trick and Treating that makes it more fun if done in the dark.

By the way, it is to to the Candy lobby that Daylight saving time ends when it does. The original push was to end Daylight Saving Time at the beginning of November NOT the last Sunday in October, but the Candy Lobby made sure Halloween stayed in regular time.

[markdd]

33. I heard differently last time..

Something like an extra hour of daylight was worth about a $BILLION in extra candy sales. Theory was that the littlest nippers and their parents went out in the daylight, more daylight = more time out collecting goodies = more money spent buying goodies. The fun stuff that the Tweeners and the Teeners are looking forward to doing in the dark don't involve candy as much as toilet paper, soap and eggs.

[happyslug]

35. Which ever story is correct will be based on some study

And the Candy company will hire the lobbyists to make sure which ever is to their advantage will be passed.

[markdd]

40. Ain't that the........

truth.

[blackspade]

12. I honestly...

have no idea why we use daylight savings time anyway.
It is just confusing and rather pointless.
My workday is totally uneffected by any "daylight saving".

[FormerOstrich]

13. I have a difficult time buying this will save energy...

so I hope this isn't what's going to save us.

That's another hour when temperatures are highest to have the A/C cranked where you have to wear your winter clothes at the office. Since the "workday" will impact all equally you won't change peak usage times. Traffic will still creep along during rush hours. I would hazard to say the hour difference in lights is minimal (some offices have their lights on for those that have been brainwashed into working longer hours than their peers.

I think there are a lot of things we can do to reduce oil consumption. I hadn't thought this was one of them. I'm listening if anyone can explain to me how this will save energy.

[clspector]

14. Stop the madness

Please explain why we VOLUNTARILY subject ourselves to what amounts to jet lag twice a year? There is no "extra" daylight -- it's the same amount. Instead of this national insanity why not adopt "Summer" hours. The work day begins at 7 am instead of 8 -- or whatever time is "normal" and leave damn clocks alone.

Sorry, I HATE daylight savings time. Why don't we just go on it all the time if it's so damn fabulous.

Sleep deprived,
clspector

[liveoaktx]

15. Lawmakers: Daylight-Saving Time Saves Fuel (More DST with energy bill)

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050407/ap_on_go_co/daylight_time

**I don't recall being asked about this.... :)

WASHINGTON - If Congress passes an energy bill, Americans may see more daylight-saving time.



Lawmakers crafting energy legislation approved an amendment Wednesday to extend daylight-saving time by two months, having it start on the last Sunday in March and end on the last Sunday in November.


"Extending daylight-saving time makes sense, especially with skyrocketing energy costs," said Rep. Fred Upton (news, bio, voting record), R-Mich., who along with Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., co-sponsored the measure.


The amendment was approved by the House Energy and Commerce Committee that is putting together major parts of energy legislation likely to come up for a vote in the full House in the coming weeks.

[Solon]

8. That's how Daylight Savings time became national to begin with...

This is Energy Crisis Part Deux (TM) after all.

[Morose]

48. Banning SUVs would save fuel

raising CAFE standards would save fuel
Financing alternative power would save fuel
30 hour work weeks would save fuel

But I don't see them wasting a lot of time on those ideas...

[Morose]

49. Dupe

darn lag.

[bloom]

16. Seems like if people were so worried about having

offices and stores open when it was light out - they could change their hours.

And couldn't schools also have daylight hours....

I guess that would be too easy though.

[Psephos]

70. Changing open hours would be a logistical nightmare...

...schools, businesses, organizations, recreational facilities, etc., all changing or not changing according to their needs.

Easier to change one variable than one million.

[ruggerson]

17. This bill stinks

They should eliminate daylight savings time altogether. It's ridiculous.

[DulceDecorum]

19. I think they should change tyo DST and KEEP IT like that.

Why the heck do they change it back?
Who likes darkness at 4PM in the afternoon?

(But I admit that the parents
who are worried about their kids going to school in the dark,
have a very valid point.)

[Skittles]

39. for the record

I like the darkness as early as I can get it; not a big fan of sunlight

[KamaAina]

50. That's what they did during WWII

now that we're apparently in a state of perpetual Bush** warfare, why not do it now, too? :sarcasm:

[all.of.me]

36. yup. i agree

i'd like to see them change the clocks by one half hour, then leave it the fuck alone!

[Skittles]

38. I'm confused, which time is the "real one"?

which would it be if DST was eliminated entirely?

[Moderator]

20. kick to combine

[ckramer]

21. US lawmakers want daylight-saving time change

A House committee voted on Wednesday to expand U.S. daylight-saving time by two months to help reduce energy consumption, but rejected a plan to shave total U.S. oil demand by 1 million barrels a day.

Both proposals were offered as amendments to be tacked on to a broad energy bill that was debated by the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

The panel agreed in a voice vote to move the start of daylight-saving time in the United States -- which occurs when clocks are turned forward by one hour -- one month earlier to the first Sunday in March. The end of daylight time would be moved back one month to the last Sunday in November.

Supporters of the amendment, sponsored by Michigan Republican Fred Upton, said it would save about 10,000 barrels of oil a day because offices and stores would be open while it was still light outside and therefore use less energy.

link

Anyone here hates the idea of clock needs to be changed twice a year? I do.

[fertilizeonarbusto]

22. My sleeping pattern

is STILL fucked. I hate DST.

[Devlzown]

26. Me too.

It's hard enough for me to get sleep as it is. I wish we would just stick with Standard Time.

[insane_cratic_gal]

23. ah less engery

You ever seen a city skyline? Pittsburgh, Chicago, lol LA?

what about enforcing companies to turn off the lights? If they aren't working why have the lights on? Secruity? it's a skyscraper i'm pretty sure the top 110 floors are secrure.

[Psephos]

71. Wassamatta? You never saw Die Hard? lol n/t

[ixion]

24. it is annoying...it disrupts my sleeping patterns for several weeks

I mean, it's nice to have some daylight left, but geez... I'd rather just leave it one way or the other.

Since it's arbitrary anyway, why not just call it 'daylight savings time' all year round? :+

[Sal316]

25. Changing clocks? What's that?

hee hee....

Here in Arizona, we have all the sunlight we need and more, tyvm....we don't need to save it.

[yorkiemommie1]

47. in hawai'i too!

i hate changing times back and forth since i have come to live on the 'big rock'.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

27. I think it should be DST all year long

we did it during Carter..I LOVED it..I hate darkness at 5 pm

[UCLA Dem]

32. Thats what my husband says an d I agree.

[phantom power]

28. You bet. It's freaking stupid.

If you need to make use of daylight, get up earlier.

Another example of the boundless stupidity of our current Congress. Instead of getting rid of DST like any sane group of people would, they just screw around with it even more.

[FlaGranny]

68. Neighbors don't like the sound

of the weedeater at 6 a.m.

[sinkingfeeling]

29. I don't get the claim that it saves any energy. The week before

DST arrived, I didn't need to turn on lights in the morning (I get up 7 days a week at between 5 and 5:15 AM) and now they must be used until I leave for work at 7AM. Now I don't need to turn lights on at 6PM, but at 7PM. There is exactly the same amount of daylight!!

Oh, I get it...it's to save businesses' costs not home energy costs!!

[Career Prole]

51. You've nailed it. I kept waiting for someone to say AHA!

It will cut business utility bills while adding to residential bills.
More transfer of wealth from poor to rich...and don't anyone hold their breath waiting for the savings to be passed on to the consumer.

[UCLA Dem]

30. Yes!! I still feel awful. It throws me off for 2 weeks!

[DemoTex]

31. DST to save 10,000 barrels/day? Here is the real story ..

The committee voted down, 39 to 12, a separate amendment to require the federal government to find a way to cut U.S. oil demand by 1 million barrels a day by 2013. The amendment offered by Democrat Henry Waxman of California aimed to reduce imports of crude oil.

It is outrageous that congress cannot take a meaningful step in reducing our national addiction to crude oil products.

[catmandu57]

34. I've got an idea

Why don't we mandate and enforce cafe standards for trucks and suxs.

[Book Lover]

41. I think it was Sam Levinson who said

that his mother described Daylight Savings Time as cutting off one end of a blanket, sewing that cut end onto the other end, and calling it a longer blanket. Stop this stupidity and end DST altogether!

[Megahurtz]

42. Why don't they just designate ONE TIME

and leave it that way, like Arizona does.

Fuck their stupid oil!:grr:

[AngryAmish]

43. This greatly expands the golf season

Best ledgislation in history. Better than the GI Bill.

[njdemocrat106]

64. I absolutely hate Daylight Saving Time

I have the same solution for Daylight Saving Time that I do for Social Security: LEAVE IT ALONE. I'm not a daylight person. Better yet, just trash Daylight Saving Time completely and revert to Standard Time, like the rest of the world.

[Mugweed]

65. Exactly

The reasons for "saving" daylight are long obsolete. It's idiocy. As for your kids, I stood in the dark quite a bit. I stayed the hell away from traffic and paid attention to same. There is NO reason for daylight savings time.

[Psephos]

69. The extra hour of daylight is killing my lawn

That's a joke, people. :-)

Peace.

[4dsc]

67. With only a 23 year supply of oil

I can hardly see how this is going to effect the overall declined of western civilization when the oil runs out.