Bill > HB1956

This bill establishes the Arkansas Nighttime Environment Protection Act, which aims to regulate outdoor lighting systems to promote safety, conserve energy, save tax dollars, and preserve the state's natural nighttime environment. The bill mandates that state agencies, counties, municipalities, and public utilities must follow specific guidelines when installing new or replacement lighting systems. These guidelines include using full cutoff fixtures that minimize light emissions above a horizontal plane, ensuring illuminance levels are appropriate for the specific purpose, minimizing glare and light pollution, and using color temperatures of 3,000 Kelvin or less in residential areas and 4,000 Kelvin or less in other areas. The bill provides exemptions for certain situations, such as federal preemption, special lighting requirements for sports facilities or historic sites, and safety-critical locations. Additionally, the legislation allows public utilities to recover compliance costs through an interim surcharge, subject to approval by the Arkansas Public Service Commission. The bill is based on findings that excessive street lighting can be costly, potentially harmful to human health by disrupting circadian rhythms, and detrimental to wildlife, drawing on recommendations from medical associations like the American Medical Association.

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https://arkleg.state.ar.us/Bills/Detail?id=hb1956&ddBienniumSession=2025%2F2025R