Do Not Let There Be Light

As city budgets tighten, streetlights are getting the ax in an effort to save money.

1 minute read

August 28, 2009, 10:00 AM PDT

By Nate Berg


Cities across the country are turning lights off or even removing them as a way to reduce costs.

"The cost-cutting moves coincide with changing attitudes about streetlights. Once viewed as helpful safety measures, the lights are increasingly seen by some public officials and researchers as an environmental issue, creating light pollution and burning excess energy.

In July, Santa Rosa, Calif., started a two-year effort to remove 6,000 of the city's 15,000 streetlights. An additional 3,000 will be placed on a timer that shuts lights off from midnight to 5:30 a.m. Savings: $400,000 a year."

Wednesday, August 26, 2009 in USA Today

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