It gets dark early during the winter. Outdoor activities are cut short, lights are turned on and many residents head inside. All that’s true.

But it’s not enough to prompt Maine to switch from Eastern Standard Time to Atlantic Standard Time. Legislation that received support from the State and Local Government Committee on Wednesday would put a question on the ballot asking voters if they want to switch Maine’s time zone.

The overall prospects for the bill are questionable. Committee members, most of whom supported the idea, only addressed sending the measure out for referendum. Before the full House and Senate follow suit, they should consider the ramifications.

Maine clocks would no longer match the rest of the East Coast. We’d be on a different schedule for half of the year, only coming in sync during daylight-saving time. Television shows would come on an hour later, including live sporting events. And many of us would be heading to work or school in the dark.

Rep. Kevin Glynn, a four-term Republican from South Portland, sponsored the legislation and makes a good case. By moving more daylight to the afternoons, some experts have estimated an energy savings of between 1 percent and 5 percent. There would also be more time to work and play outside.

But the economic impact and confusion of being in a different time zone than New Hampshire, Massachusetts and the rest of the East Coast could offset some of the gains. The state would be alone in the United States, in a time zone different from everyone else. The change would add new hurdles to businesses with operations in more than one state and create unnecessary difficulties in dealing with financial markets and out-of-state clients.

Glynn admits there would be a downside. As the news release about the bill points out, Monday Night Football would start at 10 p.m instead of 9 p.m. We can rarely make it until the end of the game now.

A national approach would have the benefits of saving energy, while not creating a Maine-only time zone. Congress is currently considering – as part of the energy bill – a plan to extend daylight-saving time by two months. It would start on the first Sunday in March and end on the last Sunday in November. That’s a better way to go. The country would save energy, we’d have more light in the afternoon and we wouldn’t be on a time island of our own.

At times, it falls to the states to act individually when the federal government fails to act. When it comes to setting the clocks, however, Maine should stick with the rest of the states on the East Coast.