July 22, 2005
ENS
WASHINGTON, DC,- Daylight saving time is going to be extended by four weeks to shorten the winter, lengthen the summer and save energy. The measure was approved Thursday by the Energy Conference Committee made up of Congressional members from the House and the Senate who are working to harmonize their differing versions of the energy bill.
The legislation was first introduced by Congressmen Fred Upton, a Michigan Republican, and Edward Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat.
“Today, we shed some additional light on the need for conservation with our daylight saving extension,” said Upton. “Not only will Americans have more daylight at their disposal for an additional four weeks of the year, we will also be keeping our energy consumption as a nation down."
"Kids across the nation will soon rejoice with the extended daylight on Halloween night that will allow for an additional hour of trick or treating," Upton said. "Studies by a leading auto safety group have also shown that extending daylight saving will save dozens of lives on the roads each year.”
“The beauty of daylight saving time is that it just makes everyone feel sunnier,” said Markey, a senior member of the Energy and Commerce Committee and the author of the 1986 legislation that added three weeks of daily savings time to the calendar.
The legislation would extend daylight saving by four weeks, starting the second Sunday of March and lasting through the first Sunday of November.
The extension of daylight saving would become effective one year after the enactment of the Energy bill. The bill also calls for a study on the impact of daylight saving on energy consumption to be conducted no later than nine months after the enactment of the bill.
“In addition to the benefits of energy savings, less crime, fewer traffic fatalities, more recreation time and increased economic activity, daylight saving just brings a smile to everybody’s faces,” said Markey.
“Extending daylight saving time makes sense, especially with skyrocketing energy costs. My daylight saving amendment is one small piece of the overall energy package, and with oil at $60 a barrel and gas at $2.50 a gallon, every bit of conservation helps,” said Upton.
The Upton-Markey amendment is supported by studies which show that early daylight saving time and longer days decrease the number of fatal traffic accidents, reduce crime rates, and provide relief for individuals suffering from “night blindness.”
Many groups including organizations like the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association, the National Association of Convenience Stores and the Retinitis Pigmentosa Foundation Fighting Blindness, and an array of small businesses which support American pastimes, from barbecues to baseball to boating support the legislation to extend daylight saving.
The extended daylight hours will not apply to the entire United States. Arizona, parts of Indiana, and Hawaii do not observe Daylight Saving Time, at all, and neither do Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and American Samoa.
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