Too Much Light Latest
Bugaboo For Activists

SANTA FE —(AP)— A proposal to lessen "light pollution" and "protect" New Mexico's night sky was approved by the state House on Friday.

The measure would regulate outdoor lighting fixtures. It would make shielded and lower-intensity lighting mandatory when new equipment is installed starting next year.

Rep. Rhonda King, D-Stanley, said the lighting restrictions would ``maintain the natural resource in New Mexico of dark skies'' and help the state develop more astronomy-related businesses.

The legislation, for example, would ban the sale of mercury vapor outdoor lighting fixtures after Jan. 1, 2000. Existing mercury vapor lamps and unshielded fixtures must be replaced when they no longer can be repaired.

Rep. Pauline Gubbels, R-Albuquerque, said the measure exempted some equipment from the proposed restrictions: airport navigational lighting systems as well as fixtures ``necessary for worker safety at farms, ranches, dairies, feedlots or industrial, mining and gas facilities.''

The House passed the bill on a 53-11 vote. It goes to the Senate for consideration.