House Passes Cap and Tax Bill 219-212
The House of Representatives passed President Barack Obama’s massive Cap and Trade energy tax bill by a vote 219-212 yesterday… 211 Democrats and eight Republicans voted for the bill.
WASHINGTON — Landmark legislation to curb U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions was approved by the House of Representatives in a close vote late Friday, securing an initial victory for a cornerstone of President Barack Obama’s agenda.
The 1,200 page bill — formally known as the “American Clean Energy and Security Act” — will reach into almost every corner of the U.S. economy. By putting a price on emissions of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, the bill would affect the way electricity is generated, how homes and offices are designed, how foreign trade is conducted and how much Americans pay to drive cars or to heat their homes.
The House climate bill, approved by a 219-212 vote Friday evening, would mandate that 15% of the nation’s electricity come from renewable sources such as wind and solar power by 2020, potentially expanding the market and profit potential for companies in those sectors. Towards that goal, it seeks to boost nascent industries such as wind-generated electricity and solar power.
It’s not clear whether the bill will pass the Senate though. Call your Senators at (202) 224-3121 and urge them to vote no this economy killer… According to an analysis conducted by The Heritage Foundation, the bill would raise energy costs for a household of four, by $436 in 2102, when it’s provisions go into effect, and by an average or $1,241 in 2035. That same families electricity costs would rise up to 90 percent by 2035, gasoline by 58 percent, and natural gas by 55 percent by 2035.
The Eight House Republicans who voted for the Cap and Tax bill are:
Mary Bono Mack (CA) (202) 225-5330
Mike Castle (DE) (202) 225-4165
Mark Kirk (IL) (202) 225-4385
Leonard Lance (NJ) (202) 225-5361
Frank LoBiondo (NJ) (202) 225-6572
John McHugh (NY) (202) 225-4611
Dave Reichert (WA) (202) 225-7761
Chris Smith (NJ) (202) 225-3765
Special thanks to Michelle Malkin for the names and phone numbers.
Related
- The Cap and Tax Fiction – Wall Street Journal
- The Climate Change Climate Change – Wall Street Journal
- The Economic Impact of the Waxman-Markey Cap-and-Trade Bill – Heritage Foundation
Environmentalists: ‘Cap-and-Trade’ Is Designed to Drive up Energy Costs and Redistribute Wealth
From CNSNews.com:
President Obama’s “cap and trade” plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is specifically designed to drive up energy prices and redistribute wealth, according to a coalition of environmental, union, and liberal activist groups that is pushing for Congress to enact the proposal this year.
The plan would also redistribute wealth by taking revenue earned by the government in auctioning off carbon-emission permits and giving some of it in rebates to lower income households to offset the increased energy prices they would pay. The rest of the revenue would be used to subsidize the development of alternative “green” energy sources.
“The purpose of the cap, the way it works, is that you are capping fossil fuel energy–you’re limiting the supply to a lower level than would otherwise be used,” Robert Greenstein, executive director of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, told CNSNews.com last week. “Demand then has to fall to meet that level of supply at the cap level and demand falls by virtue of prices rising–this is basic economics.”
Every once in while the left lets it’s real agenda slip out… This is one of those times, “cap and trade” is about social policy not energy policy.
Related
- Cap and Trade Primer: Eight reasons why cap and trade harms the economy and reduces jobs – Institute for Energy Research
- The 2009 Energy Bill: Anti-Market and Anti-Consumer – Heritage Foundation
John Larson: Government Should Compel Consumers to Use Alternative Energy
From CNSNews.com:
Government policy should be crafted to raise the price of carbon-emitting energy sources so consumers are compelled to choose alternative energy, House Democratic Conference Chairman John Larson (D-Conn.) told CNSNews.com on Thursday.
Larson agreed that such a policy would likely result in higher electricity prices for consumers but said this is needed to protect the environment from the possible “catastrophic results” of not implementing a pro-green energy policy.
Some Republicans who spoke with CNSNews.com at the Capitol agreed that electricity prices would go up, and they dismissed President Barack Obama’s cap-and-trade plan as little more than a large tax on energy producers, the cost of which is passed onto consumers.
With cap and trade, the amount of carbon an energy company can emit is capped. If it exceeds that limit, the company can purchase credits (“trade”) that would go towards investment in green or alternative energy firms.
“I think the government should serve as an impetus to do so, because as I said at the outset, not doing anything — the catastrophic results that can come from that – are what drives this issue,” Larson told CNSNews.com when asked if boosting electricity prices through government policy to drive consumers to green energy was a good idea.
I don’t have any specific comments beyond… Idiot, the idea of government micromanaging peoples lives flies directly in the face of this country’s founding priciples. Whatever happend to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness?
Previous
Related
- Man’s Contribution to Global Warming – Heritage Foundation
Food Police?!? How About Nanny State Lunacy
I’m only paying half attention to the new at the moment but of thing caught my eye… First Cassy Fiano at Wizzbang points out this little gem of Nanny State insanity from Britain:
Home cooks will also be told what size portions to prepare, taught to understand “best before” dates and urged to make more use of their freezers.
The door-to-door campaign, which starts tomorrow, will be funded by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), a Government agency charged with reducing household waste.
The officials will be called “food champions”. However, they were dismissed last night as “food police” by critics who called the scheme an example of “excessive government nannying”.
In an initial seven-week trial, eight officials will call at 24,500 homes, dishing out advice and recipes. The officials, each of whom has received a day’s training, will paid up to £8.49 an hour, with a bonus for working on Saturdays.
The pilot scheme, which will cost £30,000, could be extended nationwide if it is seen as a success. If all 25 million households in the UK were visited in the same way, 8,000 officials would be required at a cost of tens of millions of pounds.
Peter Ainsworth, the shadow environment secretary, said: “You might have thought, at a time of economic hardship, that spending public money on stating the obvious is hardly a priority. With household budgets under pressure, most people are looking to spend wisely and waste less anyway.”
Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance said: “This is a prime example of excessive Government nannying, and a waste of public money and resources. In the grip of a recession, the last thing people need is someone bossing them about in their own kitchen. (emphasis mine)
Amen! We already have big government nannies telling us what types of light bulbs to use, we don’t need them mucking about in our kitchens telling what we can and can’t do.
And on related note – also from the UK. It seems EU government nannies in Brussels want to ban plasma televisions:
Energy-guzzling plasma TVs will be banned in Brussels eco blitz
By , Daily Mail Online, 12th January 2009
The plasma screen television is poised to become the next victim of the battle to curb energy use.
Giant energy-guzzling flatscreens are expected to be banned under legislation due to be agreed by the EU this spring.
Plasma screens have been nicknamed the ‘4×4s’ of the living room because they use up to four times as much electricity and are responsible for up to four times as much carbon dioxide as traditional cathode ray tube sets.
The most energy intensive will be phased out under the new EU standards for minimum energy performance, which will follow the voluntary withdrawal of the traditional 100watt light bulb.
The remaining TVs of all types will have to carry energy rating labels designed to make it easy to distinguish between the best and worst performers.
The bottom line is simple if you give big government liberals and inch they’ll take mile after mile until you can’t change a light bulb without government authorization.
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