On December 23, 2019, the Department of Energy (DOE) finalized a rule determining that light bulb efficiency standards do not need to be updated, blocking more stringent standards that were set to go into effect on January 1, 2020. The rule also scuttles the planned phase out of energy-inefficient incandescent light bulbs. The rule, combined with a recently finalized repeal of a rule expanding the types of light bulbs covered by the standards, guts the 2020 energy efficiency standards that were developed to comply with the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act.