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July 31, 2009
Dear friends and neighbors,
Last week, my e-newsletter discussed
efforts in Congress to adopt a very extensive and
expensive climate change bill that could severely affect
how you live and how much you will pay for your energy
bills.
This week's article focuses on the
governor's efforts in Washington state to enact a costly
and unnecessary cap-and-trade system here.
If you share my concerns about the state
and federal legislation, I encourage you to voice your
opinions. Here are some phone numbers:
State cap-and-trade legislation,
call:
Federal cap-and-trade legislation,
call:
-
Sen. Patty Murray -
Washington, D.C. -
Toll Free: (866) 481-9186
-
Sen. Maria Cantwell - State offices
- Toll-free: (888) 648-7328
As always, I welcome your comments.
Please
click here to contact my office through our e-mail
service.
It is an honor to serve you.
Sincerely,
Dan Kristiansen
State Representative
39th Legislative District
P.S. - When e-mailing me, please do not hit
reply to this e-mail as I will not receive the
response. Instead, I invite you to
click here and e-mail me. Thank
you!
Federal and state cap-and-trade
legislation:
Are they really worth the cost to families?
by Rep. Dan Kristiansen
Last week in this column,
I discussed major concerns about federal "cap-and-trade"
legislation that narrowly passed the U.S. House of Representatives last
month and is scheduled for a vote in the U.S. Senate in September. Those concerns include energy prices
increasing by more than $1,600 annually for a family of four, a loss of 2.5
million American jobs, and a lengthy list of mandates that would have
government breathing down the necks of businesses and homeowners.
The latest I learned about H.R. 2454 is that every light fixture
and household appliance would be regulated. Even if your old washer and
dryer are still running, you could be required to buy newer, expensive
"green" models. All this from legislation experts say "would have a
trivially small effect on global warming while imposing substantial
costs on all American households."
One of the most ardent supporters of the cap-and-tax bill is Gov.
Christine Gregoire. In a three-page letter to the Washington
congressional delegation, she urges passage of H.R. 2454, saying "we
cannot afford to wait any longer." It was the same message the governor
gave to the state Legislature during the 2009 session when she pushed
hard for passage of
Senate Bill 5735. That measure would have entered
Washington state into a costly regional cap-and-trade program with the
Western Climate Initiative, which
tentatively includes six states and four Canadian provinces.
How costly? According to the Washington Policy Center and Beacon Hill
Institute, under the regional program, Washington state could lose
"18,292 net jobs, $5.71 billion in personal income and $302.54 in per
capita disposable income." In addition, other proposed state climate change
legislation would tax the size of your vehicle engine regardless of fuel
efficiency, and
eventually, charge you for every mile you drive.
The governor is treating climate change as an emergency. But here's the rub:
Washington is one of the cleanest states
in the nation. Our state produces only three-tenths of 1 percent of
global greenhouse gas emissions. That's like a grain of sand on an
entire beach. With such little output, no amount of reductions we
attempt in Washington will have any effect on global greenhouse gas
emissions. Washington is already green!
When the Legislature failed to pass SB 5735, the governor issued an
executive order in an attempt to implement many of its provisions.
Enforcement of that order is questionable.
There are better ways of addressing climate change than putting people
out of jobs and taking more of their money when they can least afford
it. These include using incentives for market-based solutions to
encourage new practices that reduce carbon emissions rather than
enacting punitive measures; admitting hydro power as renewable green
energy since it emits no carbon; expanding carbonless energy sources
such as wind, solar and nuclear; and putting more effort into research
and development of clean energy and transportation technology.
Finally, we need to carefully examine benefits versus consequences of
such far-reaching state and federal cap-and-trade legislation,
especially when experts agree it will have little effect on the
environment,
but will severely affect paychecks, jobs and families while giving more
power, money and control of your life to the government.
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. |
