The end of the California legislative session brought new authority for the State’s Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) and other agencies to adopt the European scheme for control of electronic products. At the end of last year, as we reported, DTSC had emulated the European Union’s Directive on Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances, or “RoHS” (pronounced “Rose”) with respect to products containing video display terminals. A new statute (AB 1109), signed into law October 12, 2007,

directs DTSC to identify those “general purpose lighting” and lamp products that, with a few exceptions, will be

banned from sale in California after January 1, 2010, which are also prohibited under RoHS. The new state law goes further to require consumer recycling of older bulbs and lighting products. Consistent with California’s landmark climate protection goals, the law also acts to develop ambitious energy saving standards for all new lighting products, not just those regulated under RoHS.