Daylight Saving Time is this Sunday

Springtime is almost here and it’s time to change your clocks.

Clocks will “spring forward” one hour on Sunday, March 9. While many welcome the extra hour of evening sunlight, the practice has a long and sometimes controversial history.

Each year, clocks reset one hour ahead in the spring (usually on the second Sunday in March) and one hour back in the fall (on the first Sunday in November). While it has become a common tradition, not everyone agrees on its effectiveness.

The idea of shifting time to make better use of daylight was proposed by Benjamin Franklin in 1784, but it wasn’t until World War I that Daylight Saving Time (DST) was first implemented widely.

In going to DST, it was believed to save energy during the war. It was adopted by many countries in Europe and North America. However, the practice was repealed a year later due to farmers protesting the method.

Congress then passed the Uniform Time Act in 1966. This gave states the option to adopt using daylight saving time. There was also an option to opt out of this practice. States like Hawaii and most of Arizona chose not to implement this practice. Other U.S. territories like the American Samoa, Guam, Northern Marian Island, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands also chose to recognize a permanent standard time.

In 1973, the Emergency Daylight Saving Time Energy Conservation Act was enacted, and the country experimented with a two-year experiment involving yearround DST.

However, in October 1974, Congress ended the experiment due to concerns of darkness on winter mornings. This also proved rather difficult for farmers with early morning schedules. This policy was eventually reversed.

In the 1980s, the start and end dates of DST were modified again to better suit economic and social needs.

In 2005, the Energy Policy Act set the practice of observing daylight saving time beginning on the second Sunday in March and returning to standard time on the first Sunday in November. The change was intended to further conserve energy, as the increased evening daylight would reduce the need for artificial lighting in homes and businesses.

For the past 18 years, the majority of the United States as well as about 70 countries throughout the world have used DST.

Today, many people question whether the energy savings once promised by DST are still relevant in an age of efficient lighting and energy use. Health experts also point to the disruptions in sleep and circadian rhythms, which can lead to increased risks of heart problems and accidents in the days following the time change.

There is a growing momentum in both the United States and abroad to abolish DST or make it permanent.

President Donald Trump recently made statements on ending DST. In a December post on “Truth Social,” he called it “inconvenient” and “very costly to our nation.”

Could we be nearing the end of having to change our clocks every March and November remains to be seen.

In 2022, the Sunshine Protection Act passed legislation in the Senate to make daylight saving time permanent and end the twice-annual changing of clocks.

The bill unanimously passed by voice vote in the Senate at that time, but it was halted in the House of Representatives.

While the practice of DST may have once served a clear purpose, its relevance today is less certain, and the conversation about its future is far from over.