We now know how cap-and-trade will be rebranded for the start of the 112th Congress — and we also know the Republican weak spot in the Senate.
As reported today by Energy & Environment News,
[A] proposal for a clean energy standard, which has been batted around for years and introduced most recently by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), has created a buzz on and off Capitol Hill in recent weeks.
What is a “clean energy standard” (CES)?
Graham’s CES is essentially a national renewable electricity standard (RES), where nuclear power and so-called “clean coal” qualify to meet the RES. Reportedly, Sens. Mark Begich (D-Alaska) and Tom Carper (D-Del), and Energy Secretary Chu are open to it.
Why should a CES be opposed?
- A CES is a carbon cap. Like an RES, mandating that a certain amount of electricity is “renewable” means capping the amount of electricity that can be produced by burning fossil fuels. We just spent the last 12 years killing cap-and-trade — the last two years of which the beast had us by the throat — why would we now support just “cap”?
- CCS is a pipedream. So-called “clean coal” depends on the commerical viability of carbon capture and sequestration (CSS). As we have pointed out before, CCS is a technical and political pipedream. It will never happen on a significant scale — and everyone knows this except the fools on Capitol Hill who are being serenaded by unscrupulous electric utilities and too-stupid-for-words coal companies. The utilities are for CCS because they want the billions in taxpayer largesse that would be floated their way. The coal companies that are for CCS hope that it will buy them peace with politicians and the public. Though CCS may be promised in a CES bill, the enviros will work to make sure that CCS projects are never actually come into operation. Properly seen, CCS is little more than a bait-and-switch tactic to get coal-burning utilities and coal companies to agree to “cap.”
- Nuclear power is a pipedream. Environmentalists are committed to ending nuclear power — that’s why no new plants have been constructed in more than 30 years. While utilities, politicians and the public will be teased by the prospect of more nuclear power in a CES bill, crafty enviros will make sure that no law guarantees the construction of more nuclear plants. As now, the enviros will make sure that they can use the regulatory process and the courts to halt new nuke plant construction.
So here’s our problem. While the GOP-controlled House will have knee-jerk reaction to anything called “cap-and-trade,” members may not have the same reaction to an unfamiliar beast called a “clean energy standard.” The enviros, of course, will work to liken opposing a “clean energy standard” to opposing food and shelter for orphans. Then there’s the clean energy industry which will be working harder and throwing around more money than ever. The 112th Congress is do-or-die time for the wind and solar rentseekers.
Energy use in America is already clean. If the enviros need something to do, they ought to go pester their fellow communists in China, where energy use is anything but clean. We should be all in favor of the ChiComs “winning the race for clean energy.” Then they can put it to good use at home.
In this current rogue administration, it apparently doesn’t matter what we think about this matter. Most people I speak to are totally unaware that a mandatory Cap & Trade system is already up and running in the Northeast. It’s called the “Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative” (RGGI) See their website at: http://www.rggi.org
The states involved are: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont. The ‘MANDATORY” aspect of RGGI seems to stem from the fact that as each of the 10 states “ratified” the agreement, that made it mandatory for energy producers in those states to participate. Participation appears to be required of fossil fuel-fired generators of 25 megawatts or larger.
If you look at the “News & Updates” page, you’ll see that what they’re doing is quietly building up a bull$hit legend to use to sell a national version of the scam.
There are rumors flying around that they’ve received as much as $65 Billion in “Stimulus” funding. As they’ve already raised over $700 Million in the 9 bogus “carbon” auctions they’ve held, if there’s any truth to that rumor, then it would be wise for the new Republican controlled House, to investigate where that money went. Since their first 2 auctions were held in the final months of the Bush administration, it demonstrates that the progressives are everywhere, and not just limited to the democratic party.
fs
Hello uber-righties!
Get w/ the program. Even IF you do not believe in climate change caused by a large part by man – other nations do!
Think of the economic Opps that we can have if we move forward w/ green technlogies. Let America be the driving force again, not the Chinese, Germans, or whatever nation…
Put you good economic conservative power into growing this economy instead being an addict to a 19th Century fossil fuel model.
I guess what I’m saying is: let’s move beyond the extremes and make some $ for Americans on this! We lefties need you to join us in this crusade!
(Otherwise, be swept away by the eco-facist gov’t that you believe is trying to control your future…)
Like Phoenix rising from the ashes, cap & trade rides again as clean energy. The myth
of CO2 as evil is kept alive by scheming pols
and Greenies. I have always thought that Greens are out to deprive us of energy and a means of support for our economy. I hope their villany is found out before humanity begins freezing and starving in the dark. Our salvation may rest with another Little Ice Age but it had better not be a major 100,000 year event like the one we just recovered from a geological moment ago.
This posting should be treated with the greatest alarm. Democrats are skillful in manipulating Republicans as may be shown by the final version of a bill to extend the Bush tax cuts for two more years. The Democrats are screaming outrage over giving tax breaks to the rich while they load this bill with wasteful projects such as continuing the subsidies for ethanol from corn, solar power, and wind power. These wasteful projects may not have been passed under ordinary circumstances.
South Carolina Senator Graham has lost his mind and climbed in bed with the Democrat Party environmental movement. He should be served notice he will have oppositon in the primary in 2014 if continues these policies.
As pointed out by Steve Milloy, CES is a cap in that it will mandate a certain percentage of electric power generation be from approved sources each year. This percentage will be increased until electricy produced by fossil fuels is mandated to extinction as original cap-and-trade bills.
The CES bill is a tax because it will take government funds to subsidize solar, wind, and if done, CCS. The subsidies have to come from taxpayers because we have to start balancing government budgets someday. Taxes must rise due to passage of this bill. The tax is in another form called rate hikes by utilities who provide electricity. Solar, wind, and CCS electricity will cost from three to ten times that from conventional electric power generation. So expect annual electric power bills to increase maybe 3 to 8 percent per year as is being shown in Europe by countries mandating solar and wind energy.
A CES or RES bill will bd very painful for this country and all for naught. The alleged purpose for these bill is to reduce carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels to halt global warming. Carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels has an insignificant influence on global warming as shown by those in the U. S. and Europe shivering from this winter’s possible record cold.
Citizens in this country have to wake up and demand sensible government. Contact your senators and house representatives to stop bills such as Graham’s CES.