Posted: 11/04/2009
Patience Not A Virtue For Climate Bill Vote
Boxer/Kerry Bill Needs Rethinking, Says NCPA Expert
DALLAS (Nov. 4, 2009)-In the face of rebellion by GOP Senators and warnings from ranking Members of five other key legislative Committees, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) now advocates a "patient" strategy for considering a landmark climate change bill in the Environment Committee, which she chairs. But NCPA Senior Fellow H. Sterling Burnett says Boxer's patience is not enough.
"Both Sens. Boxer and Kerry (D-MA), coauthors of the bill, need to be honest with the American public about the full economic impact of their bill and rethink the goals of their proposal," Burnett said.
Burnett warned that the Boxer/Kerry bill is polluted with fuzzy economic claims and unrealistic goals. For example:
- The Boxer/Kerry bill's carbon emission limits are too stringent. Both Boxer and Kerry claim those targets will be easy to reach given that we are below 2005 emission levels. "What they ignore," Burnett said, "is the reason for the recent reduction in emissions is due to the massive economic slump and high unemployment. Evidently, the bill's sponsors think that's a good thing."
- The bill transfers wealth from the poor in the Midwest, where electricity is cheaper, to the wealthier residents on the East and West coasts. "This is welfare for the well-to-do, a giant regressive energy tax that bi-coastal radicals are foisting on the rest of the nation," Burnett said. "For every 'green' job the bill creates, many more jobs will be destroyed."
- To force emission reductions under Boxer/Kerry, energy prices will have to increase and be passed on to consumers.
Finally, the bill isn't good energy policy, according to Burnett. "We shouldn't enact 'all pain, no gain' legislation," Burnett added, "especially when it is so expensive and doesn't solve the problem."