The Trump administration has come up with its latest bright idea – scrapping rules that require energy efficiency standards in lightbulbs.

The Department of Energy is eliminating stricter efficiency standards on about half of bulbs sold in the US. The repealed rule, enacted during Barack Obama’s presidency, was aimed at phasing out older-style inefficient incandescent and halogen lightbulbs by 2020.

As a result, billions of lightbulbs used in bathrooms, vanities and chandeliers will be allowed to remain far more inefficient than their main alternative – light-emitting diodes, or LEDs.

The DoE said the repeal, backed by a handful of lighting companies that rely upon the older technology, was because the Obama-era rule was “not consistent” with the law. The department said the new regime will give consumers more choice.

Critics of the move point out it will create more planet-warming pollution and cost Americans more in energy bills, due to long-term savings associated with using LEDs. “It’s like trying to protect the horse and buggy from the automobile technology,” said Andrew deLaski, executive director of the Appliance Standards Awareness Project.

The Trump administration has set about eliminating rules that reduce pollution from coal-fired power plants, vehicles and oil drilling operations. The new front in this crusade, involving the humble lightbulb, has sparked a fresh outcry from opponents who vowed to power up a legal challenge.

“With all that’s at stake in the world, the Trump administration has chosen to declare war on energy-efficient light bulbs,” said Xavier Becerra, California’s attorney general.

“This is but another dim-witted move that will waste energy at the expense of our people and planet.”