‘Falling Back’ for the Last Time? Daylight Savings Time Might Become Permanent
posted by Jacqueline Leibman | November 21, 2022 | In NewsOn November 13, clocks were turned back an hour, possibly for the last time. Earlier in March of this year, Reuters reported that the U.S. Senate unanimously passed the Sunshine Protection Act of 2021to make daylight savings time permanent, effective November 5, 2023. However, the bill has stalled in the House as Congress has yet to come to a consensus on the issue.
Why do we even change our clocks twice a year? What’s the point?
The most well-known cause of Daylight Savings is the myth that the practice was adopted to give farmers an extra hour of sunlight while working in the fields. However, farmers were historically against DST as it disrupted their daily routine and confused the animals.
It would appear that mentality has reversed in favor of the myth as modern-day farmers, such as David Pflugfelder of Cathis Farm, are much in favor of DST.
Pflugfelder states that because of ‘falling back,’ “the Sun setting at 6pm has been an adjustment,” he continued, “With my schedule, I have now lost one hour of daylight per day, over a week that adds up quickly.”
Cathis farm is a family and veteran owned sustainable meat farm and event venue in Lillington, NC. Pflugfelder raises cows, pigs, chickens, turkey, and sometimes sheep and goats, which requires a lot of outdoor work tending to the animals. Losing an hour of sunlight is not only an issue of convenience, but of safety.
“My work is primarily outdoors, being able to do it in the sunlight is much more efficient and safer. No matter how many lights I use, it’s still not the same as natural daylight,” Mr. Pflugfelder said.
Supporters of the Sunshine Protection Act say that the switch to permanent DST will also have a positive impact on public health. One of the largest arguments is that ‘falling back’ increases seasonal depression.
Most people experience seasonal depression during the fall and winter months. It is believed that changing the clocks disrupts our bodies’ circadian rhythm, by limiting our exposure to sunlight.
There are even studies that have found a correlation between the transition from standard time to DST in the Spring and an increase in the number of acute heart attack cases.
Other research has suggested that the extra hour of sunlight would decrease the number of car accidents and evening robberies.
The major downside to the change would be for school-age children who have to wait for the bus—as they would now have to wait in the dark during the winter months.
Some historians say that DST was originally created by Benjamin Franklin in 1784, but the practice dates back to World War I.
Countries such as Britain, Germany, and the United States implemented DST during WWI in an effort to limit electricity use. More sunlight in the evening delayed people from turning on their lights, ultimately saving fuel for use in the war effort.
The eight-month DST schedule that we follow today was established in 2007 under President George W. Bush’s administration. President Bush extended DST an extra four weeks, which the U.S. Department of Energy found to save about 0.5 percent in total electricity every day. This amounts to 1.3 billion kilowatt-hours, which is enough energy to provide electricity to “more than 100,000 households for an entire year.”
Although Senators such as Marco Rubio (R-FL), have been vocal champions for the switch, it is unsure when the vote will be put to the House.
U.S. Representative Frank Pallone (D-NJ), who chairs the Energy and Commerce Committee, told Reuters that the deluge of opinions from regions across America have contributed to the delay.
“We haven’t been able to find consensus in the House on this yet. There are a broad variety of opinions about whether to keep the status quo, to move to a permanent time, and if so, what time that should be,” Representative Pallone told Reuters.
According to Reuters, the White House has declined to say if President Biden even supports making daylight-saving time permanent.
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