What actually happened was that they set a minimum efficiency for lightbulbs, which tungsten bulbs didn't meet, but CFLs (and some halogens) did. LED bulbs were

What actually happened was that they set a minimum efficiency for lightbulbs, which tungsten bulbs didn't meet, but CFLs (and some halogens) did. LED bulbs weren't quite ready for prime time at that point. They actually did the most sensible thing possible. They set a target efficiency, and let the manufacturers figure out which technology to use in order to meet those requirements. The alternative would have been to make a specific energy-efficient technology mandatory, which would have unfairly benefited manufacturers focusing on that specific technology, and would have made the law outdated when a better technology inevitably comes along. Nobody forced CFLs on people. They were simply the best option at that time, until LED bulbs improved.