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Federal climate change bill
will strangle family budgets, kill jobs
by
Rep. Dan Kristiansen
As your state
representative, I seek your input on issues in the Washington
State Legislature in Olympia. Occasionally, issues are considered in
Congress in Washington, D.C. that may impact the citizens I represent.
Although I cannot vote on congressional issues, I do feel a
responsibility to educate citizens and urge your involvement.
On June 26, the U.S. House
of Representatives narrowly adopted H.R. 2454, also
known as the American Clean Energy and Security Act. The measure is a
massive 1,428 page energy and climate change bill that aims to reduce
carbon emissions 17 percent by 2020 through a system known as
"cap-and-trade."
Under cap-and-trade, the
government would require companies emitting greenhouse gases to obtain a
permit for each ton they emit annually. Eventually, the government would
reduce the number of permits available for emitting carbon dioxide (the
same thing we breathe when we exhale) and other greenhouse gases. Prices
for those permits would then become very expensive.
The Congressional Budget
Office (CBO) estimates the program would provide the government nearly
$850 billion within 10 years. Congressional leaders
call it the largest tax increase in American history.
How will cap-and-trade
affect your family?
-
Higher energy
prices: Most companies involved are energy generators. As prices
of permits skyrocket, industries and energy producers will pass
those $850 billion in costs to everyone who uses gasoline,
electricity and natural gas. CBO estimates this could increase
energy prices for an average family-of-four household by more than
$1,600 annually. By 2035, electricity costs would increase 90
percent, gasoline 58 percent, and natural gas 55 percent, for a
total cumulative family cost of $22,800.
-
Fewer jobs: As
costs skyrocket, industries will outsource millions of manufacturing
jobs to countries such as China and India. The American Legislative
Exchange Council estimates a loss of 2.5 million American jobs, even
after the creation of new green jobs.
-
More government
intrusion: The bill would create new federal mandates on everything
from outdoor light bulbs and table lamps to water dispensers and
household appliances, making all more expensive to purchase and
operate. It also requires an 80 percent reduction of
energy use in residential buildings by 2014. While reducing our
energy use is well-intended, meeting this requirement could cost you
thousands of dollars to save only hundreds of dollars. It would also
significantly drive up new home costs.
Will this legislation
significantly reverse global temperatures?
No. The Cato Institute
estimates temperature reduction would be less than 0.2 degrees
Fahrenheit by 2100 -- virtually unnoticeable. China, which will not
accept absolute CO2 limits, emits four times as much CO2 as the United
States. Experts say any U.S. CO2 reduction would be wiped out as China
and other developing nations grow. Harvard Professor Martin Feldstein
noted, "The proposed legislation would have a trivially small effect on
global warming while imposing substantial costs on all American
households."
There are better, less
costly ways to help our environment without strangling families or
killing jobs. I will address this issue more extensively in a future
article.
For now, however, I urge
you to contact Sen. Patty Murray and Sen. Maria Cantwell. They will soon
be voting on this bill, which could have significant impacts on you and
your family.
-
Sen. Patty Murray - -
Washington, D.C. -
Toll Free: (866) 481-9186
-
Sen. Maria Cantwell - State offices
- Toll-free: (888) 648-7328
# # #
EDITOR'S NOTE:
State Rep. Dan Kristiansen, R-Snohomish,
represents the 39th Legislative District, and also serves as chairman of
the Washington House Republican Caucus. He can be contacted at (360)
786-7967 or from his Web site at:
www.houserepublicans.wa.gov/Kristiansen.
For more information, contact:
John
Sattgast, Senior Information Officer: (360) 786-7257
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