Senators this week will begin consideration of two measures related to energy efficiency.

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee meets Thursday to discuss the two bills introduced last month.

The first item under scrutiny at the legislative hearing is S. 398, a bipartisan energy efficiency bill sponsored by the panel's chairman and ranking member, Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska).

"Greater energy efficiency saves consumers money, strengthens our economy, enhances our national security, creates jobs, and reduces environmental impacts," Bingaman said in a statement when the bill was introduced. "No single program or policy is going to completely end our nation's waste of energy or restore our economic competitiveness, but increased energy efficiency through cost-effective energy standards for appliances and consumer products remains one of the most powerful tools for meeting these goals."

The measure would strengthen and improve energy efficiency standards for consumer products like furnaces, air conditioners, heat pumps, refrigerators, freezers, clothes washers and dryers, and dishwashers. It also would create new standards for certain outdoor lighting, pool heaters, drinking water dispensers and commercial food cabinets, among others.

The legislation is similar to language included in the broad energy bill moved through the committee last Congress. And it expands on a separate measure that narrowly failed in the Senate late last year.

The bill has broad support from appliance manufacturers, consumer advocates and environmentalists, and lawmakers likely will hear ringing endorsements from witnesses including Steve Nadel, executive director of the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy.

The group has said the legislation proposes enough energy savings each year to power 4.6 million households.

The second item under consideration at the hearing might not fare as well.

S. 395 from GOP Sen. Mike Enzi of Wyoming and 27 other Republicans would prohibit Congress from phasing out the use of incandescent light bulbs.

The measure would repeal light bulb standards included in a broad 2007 energy law that eliminate traditional incandescent bulbs in favor of more energy-efficient compact fluorescents, halogens and LEDs. The law requires the phase-out of 100-watt bulbs by the end of this year, and it would ultimately end the use of 40-watt bulbs by the end of 2013.

Republicans say the language is an example of government overreach.

"I think it's fine if someone wants to fill their home or business with the light from the new bulbs. I also think it is fine if someone wants to buy an old-fashioned bulb because it works better for them," Enzi said in a statement. "If left alone, the best bulb will win its rightful standing in the marketplace. Government doesn't need to be in the business of telling people what light bulb they have to use."

The light bulb issue has become contentious among lawmakers in recent months. Similar GOP measures have been introduced in the House by Reps. Joe Barton (R-Texas) and Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.). The issue played a factor in the hotly contested race for the House Energy and Commerce gavel last fall, which Barton lost to Michigan Rep. Fred Upton. Upton was chided by more conservative members of his party for having supported the measure when it originally passed in 2007.

"The issue for me is freedom for Americans to purchase whatever light bulb they like," Bachmann told reporters last week after introducing her bill.

Enzi is not a member of the Energy Committee, but six of the panel's 10 Republicans are co-sponsors of his legislation, and they could clash with some of the panel's more liberal Democrats. Still, the attention to the issue from Bingaman, a moderate Democrat known for working with Republicans, could mean he is willing to consider approving the measure.

Schedule: The hearing is Thursday, March 10, at 9:30 a.m. in 366 Dirksen.

Witnesses: Kathleen Hogan, deputy assistant secretary of energy efficiency, Department of Energy; Steve Nadel, executive director, American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy; Joseph McGuire, president, Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers; Kyle Pitsor, vice president of government relations, National Electrical Manufacturers Association; Stephen Yurek, president and CEO, Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute; and Mark Cooper, director of research, Consumer Federation of America.