Cap and Trade Will Devastate the Nation

Commentary by Jim Day

While the main stream media focused our attention on the death of Michael Jackson and other non-critical matters, little (if any) news coverage was given to the passage of a horrible piece of legislation. A piece of legislation which will not only add to the destruction of our economy, raise taxes to the point of forcing people to choose between eating or freezing during the winter, dramatically add to our nation’s unemployment rate, and all but destroy what’s left of America’s sovereignty. I’m talking about H.R. 2454, the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 which was voted upon and passed in the U.S. House of Representatives on June 26, 2009 by a vote of 219-212. (To see how Missouri and Illinois Congressmen voted go to the end of this article.)

H.R. 2454 was introduced on May 15, 2009 by Congressman Henry Waxman (D) CA.  This legislation (which is now in the Senate for consideration) will create a “cap and trade” system that will require Americans to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from 2005 levels by 17 percent by 2020 and 83 percent by 2050. The proposal seeks to reduce carbon emissions by limiting the allowable amount of CO2 emissions with the plan to set a progressively lower ceiling on allowable emissions and progressively increase penalties for exceeding that limit.

This mandate will effectively tax energy producers for their carbon emissions through higher costs, which even proponents of cap and trade admit will inevitably be passed onto consumers. Furthermore, other provisions in the bill, such as a new federal renewable electricity standard will cause electricity prices to go through the roof.

On June 5, 2009, a report issued by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office confirmed that this legislation will hurt middle-class families across America and could cost American families up to $3,100 per year, send countless American jobs oversees to China and India at a time when U.S. workers can afford it least, and place an enormous burden on everyone when they use energy or when they buy a product manufactured in the United States. It is estimated that H.R. 2454 will raise gasoline prices by 58%, natural gas prices by 55%, home heating oil by 56% and electricity prices by 90% by the year 2035.

While a cleaner environment is certainly a great goal, the new mandates proposed in H.R. 2454 will impose unilateral climate restrictions that will drive up energy costs for businesses and consumers, and create impossible goals for U.S. companies to meet in order to compete with foreign businesses – hence adding to our growing unemployment rate.

Yes, we have a responsibility to protect our planet from avoidable environmental harm. God has commanded us to be good stewards of what He has created. But any action we take regarding environmental legislation should be based on scientific facts.

Research continues as to the causes and effects of alleged ‘global warming.’ Although some of the physics and meteorology surrounding climate is well understood, the question of predicting future climate trends as well as man's ability to definitively influence them is still an active field of scientific research.  Moreover, despite our desire for complete certainty, we must understand that global climate is a very complex phenomena.  No one variable can be taken as the sole driver of climate and there exists cycles within cycles of meteorological variability.  Scientists state that the planet has gone through many such natural heating and cooling cycles over the last thousand years.

While scientists understand that increased levels of CO2 and other greenhouse gases work to trap heat, those gases are not the only variables when it comes to Earth's temperature trends.  For example, the sun itself has variable output, which affects temperature cycles.  Currently, scientist are puzzled by a current-extended minimum in solar activity (Sun spots).  Such a long-term lack of solar output in the early 18th century, referred to as the “Maunder Minimum,” is thought to have contributed to the last mini-ice age.  Of course factors such as solar variability that could cause a mini-ice age would probably not afford a man-made solution.

Assuming that human activity is the cause of climate change and that the cap and trade policy would reduce U.S. CO2 emissions, there is evidence to suggest that this policy would reduce the Earth's future temperature by an amount too minuscule to measure.

H.R. 2454 is, in reality, a job killing tax that will not be burdened equally geographically and Midwestern states with less access to renewable energy and economies already hard-hit by downturns in manufacturing will be hit more severely.

Our country has been struggling through a terrible economic downturn. It is an insult to hard working Americans, whom we depend on for our economic recovery, to burden them with an energy tax. Such a tax will kill jobs, discourage investment and be highly corrosive to an already weakened economy. Unions, small business, large business, homeowners, low income families and Midwesterners stand to lose big-time if this legislation becomes law. This ill-conceived bill will drive up unemployment by exporting jobs while increasing the cost of food, heating fuel, gasoline and all manufactured products.

As of the writing of this commentary, H.R. 2454 was in the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. They are allegedly holding off on consideration of the House cap-and-trade bill until September. This gives us time to contact our Senators and demand that they kill this bill. I encourage readers in Missouri and Illinois to call, write, email, fax or personally visit your U.S. Senator and tell them in no uncertain terms that a vote for cap-and-trade means adding to the unemployment lines — starting with themselves.

For Missourians, your Senators are Christopher (Kit) Bond and Claire McCaskill. In Illinois, your Senators are Richard Durbin and Roland Burris.

As for the Congressmen who voted for H.R. 2454, I would vote them out of office the next time they’re up for reelection.

Missouri Congressmen who voted against H.R. 2454

Todd Akin (R)

Roy Blunt (R)

Jo Ann Emerson (R)

Sam Graves (R)

Blaine Luetkemeyer (R)

Missouri Congressmen who voted for H.R. 2454

Russ Carnahan (D)

William Clay Jr. (D)

Emanuel Cleaver (D)

Ike Skelton (D)

Illinois Congressmen who voted against H.R. 2454

John Shimkus (R)

Jerry Costello (D)

Peter Roskam (R)

Judy Biggert (R)

Bill Foster (D)

Timothy Johnson (R)

Donald Manzullo (R)

Aaron Schock (R)

Illinois Congressmen who voted for H.R. 2454

Mark Kirk (R)

Phil Hare (D)

Deborah Halvorson (D)

Janice Schakowsky (D)

Melissa Bean (D)

Danny Davis (D)

Mike Quigley (D)

Luis Gutierrez (D)

Daniel Lipinski (D)

Jesse Jackson Jr. (D)

Bobby Rush (D)

Some of the information contained in this commentary was taken from a letter written to a constituent of Missouri Congressman Todd Akin of the 2nd Congressional District.