Graham pollster to Republicans: Abandon ‘cap and tax’, skepticism

Now that Sen. Lindsey Graham has teamed up with Sen.John Kerry in trying to foist cap-and-tax on America, one of Graham’s goons is offering advice to Republicans on how to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

In an article about a new poll indicating that almost 80 percent of Americans don’t know what cap-and-trade is but that Republicans are almost twice as likely as Democrats to know about cap-and-trade, ClimateWire reports,

Republican pollster Whit Ayres downplayed the viability of phrases like “cap and tax.” For those opposed to the bill, he said, the most effective strategy is using third-party “validators” like the Congressional Budget Office to point out costs of specific provisions within legislation.

And he said the worst strategy for the GOP would be to deny that climate change is a man-made phenomenon, according to his polling research.

Although we are winning the battle against oppressive green climate/energy legislation — or at least holding our own against vastly better funded opponents — “Republican” pollster Ayres says we should change tactics — i.e., don’t say “cap-and-tax” and don’t question whether climate change is manmade. Ayres further advises that we should rely on “third-party validators” like the CBO — a group that thinks Americans will actually benefit economically from cap-and-tax (Oops… it slipped. Sorry, Dim-Whit.)

Sen. Graham is one of Ayres’ clients as is the Environmental Defense Fund — no wonder Ayres wants us to surrender our winning ways.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is one of Ayres’ clients — do you think Ayres will follow the likes of Apple, Nike and Exelon and abandon the USCOC? Perhaps it should abandon Ayres?

BTW, don’t forget to check out Nancy Morgan’s terrific piece in today’s American Thinker, “The Seduction of Lindsey Graham.”

President Pinocchio on drilling and nukes

Where have you gone Joe Wilson-iaggio? President Obama is fibbing (again).

As reported by Energy and Environment Daily:

President Obama gave a nod yesterday to a budding bipartisan Senate effort on energy and climate legislation during a New Orleans town hall meeting where he also pledged to push for the bill’s passage once Congress finishes its work on health care.

“What I think we need to do is increase our domestic energy production,” Obama said in response to a question about environmental policy from an audience member. “I’m in favor of finding environmentally sound ways to tap our oil and our natural gas.”

Obama also mentioned his support for nuclear energy, one of two key points of possible Senate compromise as lawmakers look to pass a comprehensive energy and global warming bill in the coming months.

“There’s no reason why technologically we can’t employ nuclear energy in a safe and effective way,” Obama said. “Japan does it and France does it and it doesn’t have greenhouse gas emissions, so it would be stupid for us not to do that in a much more effective way.”

Actions, however, tell the tale.

The New York Times reported last week that:

The Department of the Interior has frozen oil and gas development on 60 of 77 contested drilling sites in Utah…

… alleging…

… the process of leasing the land was rushed and badly flawed… including possible damage to the habitat of sage grouse, which is being considered for endangered species protection, and to avoid the dust and noise pollution associated with drilling operations.

Sounds pretty lame to us…

With respect to nuclear, President Pinocchio’s friends in the environmental movement yesterday sent this letter to Senators asking them to reject streamlining the licensing process for nuclear plants. Apparently, they like the status quo — no new nuke plants have been built in more than 30 years.

While President Pinocchio postures by saying that he is for drilling and nukes, he knows his administration minions and political allies will kill both.

Dee dee dee dee dee dee dee dee dee dee dee dee dee
Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo
Dee dee dee dee dee dee dee dee dee dee dee dee dee

President Pinocchio
President Pinocchio

Duke Energy’s $10 million ‘3-hour tour’

From ClimateWire:

Duke Energy, the third-largest emitter of carbon dioxide in the U.S. utility sector, has spent more than $10 million to lobby Congress since 2008, helping to shape, it says, legislation to cap carbon emissions… [Waxman-Markey] gave Duke most of the credits it would need for the next 15 to 20 years for free.

“That was a major achievement,” said Duke spokesman Tom Williams. “I would say that was a major example of our [lobbying] presence paying off for our customers.”

Maybe Duke meant “paying off from our customers,” since Duke Energy has already applied to increase electricity rates 12.6% ($500 million) in anticipation of carbon cap legislation.

More from the ClimateWire article:

Duke CEO Jim Rogers has “played the political winds like a master yachtsman,” said Frank O’Donnell, president of Clean Air Watch, adding that the firm touts carbon controls while also expanding a coal-fired plant west of Charlotte, N.C.

“Master yachtsman”? Below is a more apt image of Duke’s “Skipper”:

dukeminnow

In reality, Rogers has done nothing but betray his shareholders and customers:

Wanted Poster Duke Sketch Final Redo

Keep calm and carry on…

…an open letter to U.S. Chamber of Commerce president Tom Donohue about the recent defections of companies from the Chamber…

October 7, 2009

Mr. Tom Donohue
President
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
1615 H St., N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20062-2000

Dear Mr. Donohue:

We urge you to continue your strong opposition to the cap-and-tax bills passed by the House and now introduced in the Senate.

Much has been made in the pro-cap-and-tax mainstream press and trade media about the relatively few companies who have quit the Chamber over “cap and tax.” We say good riddance to rent-seekers and hypocrites:

  • Exelon Corp. is one of the very few utilities that are actually planning to make money off of “cap and tax” – up to $750 million annually per $10 increase in the price of CO2 – for doing nothing other than selling the free credits it gets from Congress, according to CEO John Rowe. Consumers and taxpayers are the ones who will be looted for this booty.
  • Apple Corp. said it was leaving the Chamber because of its supposed concerns for the environment. If Apple was really concerned about the environment, it would stop exploiting lax-to-non-existent Chinese environmental laws in the manufacture of its products. If Apple really cared about the environment, it would pressure China to adopt the Clean Air Act for starters. For all its green posturing, Apple should quit China not the Chamber.
  • Nike manufactures its shoes and clothes in sweatshops in Indonesia, paying its workers approximately $1.25 a day, while competitor New Balance manufactures its products in the U.S. So Nike wants new federal laws that place New Balance at a competitive disadvantage. Perhaps we are being too harsh. Maybe Nike is truly concerned about “global warming” increasing the temperature in its sweatshops and, thereby, decreasing the productivity of its near-slave-labor.

These are three companies out of the thousands that you represent. The Chamber has a long and proud history of being the nation’s strongest voice for American business. We are all depending on your leadership against “cap and tax,” which will do nothing but harm American businesses, families, workers, consumers and, ultimately, America itself.

Sincerely,

Steve Milloy
Publisher, JunkScience.com

UN to US: $10 trillion for climate or else…

The United Nations says in a new report that unless we (meaning U.S. taxpayers and consumers) cough up $10 trillion to the world’s renewable energy rentseekers and carbon abatement scamsters, the planet will be destroyed by UN-fabricated global warming.

UN chief Ban (Dr. Evil) Ki-moon
UN chief Ban (Dr. Evil) Ki-moon

Click here for Wall Street Journal coverage.

Problems at USCAP?

Today’s Washington Post features a full-page ad urging the Senate to adopt carbon caps this year — ironically, an ad that may signal the demise of the U.S. Climate Action Partnership (USCAP), the coalition of rentseeking big businesses and socialist activist groups lobbying for global warming regulation.

The ad is signed by 22 companies and 6 green groups.

While 15 of the ad’s signatories are USCAP members (Boston Scientific, Dow, Duke, Dupont, Environmental Defense, Exelon, GE, Johnson & Johnson, NRDC, Nature Conservancy, NRG energy, Pew Center, PG&E PNM Resources, Rio Tinto, and Word Resources Institute), 15 other USCAP members didn’t endorse the ad (AES, Alcoa, Alston, BP America, Caterpillar, Chrysler, ConocoPhillips, Deere, Ford, FPL, GM, Pepsico, Shell & Siemens).

It’s hard to believe that the ad wasn’t shopped to all USCAP members — who could have endorsed it at no cost. The ad states,

“This ad is paid for and/or supported by the aforementioned organizations.”

“Or supported” means that some signatories were not charged to participate.

It’s not surprising that Caterpillar and ConocoPhillips didn’t endorse the ad since they opposed Waxman-Markey, albeit at the last moment. But it is notable, for example, that natural gas producer BP America and free-allowance-seeking FPL didn’t sign on.

While some companies are leaving the U.S. Chamber of Commerce over climate, the USCAP den of thieves and scoundrels may be experiencing it’s own difficulties.

If Apple was really concerned about the environment…

… it would leave China, not the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Apple told the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in its resignation letter:

“Apple is committed to protecting the environment and the communities we operate in around the world. We strongly object to the Chamber’s recent comments opposing the EPA’s efforts to limit greenhouse gases. We would prefer the Chamber take a more progressive stance on this critical issue and play a constructive role in addressing the climate crisis. However, because the Chamber’s position differs so sharply with Apple’s, we have decided to resign our membership effective immediately.”

So when will Apple pressure the Chinese government to adopt the Clean Air Act? Isn’t actual air pollution in China much worse than the invisible, if not debatable/mythical, problem of U.S. CO2 emissions?

We doubt that Apple has any answers to those questions as Al I-need-cap-and-trade-to-become-the-first-carbon-billionaire Gore sits on its board of directors and, no doubt, cheerled Apple’s resignation from the U.S. Chamber.

Air quality in Shenzhen, China where Apple makes iPhones.
Air quality in Shenzhen, China where Apple makes iPhones.
Air quality over Apple HQ in Cuppertino, CA, where the company counts its profits made from the pollution in Shenzhen, China.
Air quality over Apple HQ in Cuppertino, CA, where the company counts its profits made from the pollution in Shenzhen, China.

If Apple was really concerned about the environment…

… it would leave China, not the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Apple told the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in its resignation letter:

“Apple is committed to protecting the environment and the communities we operate in around the world. We strongly object to the Chamber’s recent comments opposing the EPA’s efforts to limit greenhouse gases. We would prefer the Chamber take a more progressive stance on this critical issue and play a constructive role in addressing the climate crisis. However, because the Chamber’s position differs so sharply with Apple’s, we have decided to resign our membership effective immediately.”

So when will Apple pressure the Chinese government to adopt the Clean Air Act? Isn’t actual air pollution in China much worse than the invisible, if not debatable/mythical, problem of U.S. CO2 emissions?

We doubt that Apple has any answers to those questions as Al I-need-cap-and-trade-to-become-the-first-carbon-billionaire Gore sits on its board of directors and, no doubt, cheerled Apple’s resignation from the U.S. Chamber.

Air quality in Shenzhen, China where Apple makes iPhones.
Air quality in Shenzhen, China where Apple makes iPhones.
Air quality over Apple HQ in Cuppertino, CA, where the company counts its profits made from the pollution in Shenzhen, China.
Air quality over Apple HQ in Cuppertino, CA, where the company counts its profits made from the pollution in Shenzhen, China.

GE ‘stimulated’ by $300 million water heater rebate

Everyday seems to bring new revelations about federal stimulus money earmarked for the Obama-blessed General Electric. Yesterday it was smart meters, today’s scheme involves water heaters.

GE will be selling water heaters that, as described by SmartGridToday,

…lets utilities regulate the use by sending signals wirelessly to them from smart meters.

According to the GE press release,

Additionally, the smart appliance qualifies for Energy Star rebate programs… In July, the U.S. Department of Energy announced the availability of nearly $300 million in funding for state-run Energy Star rebate programs as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act stimulus plan.

The Obama-Immelt Pact (rentseeking-for-lobbying) is corrupt enough but it’s made positively execrable by its ends — allowing the government (through regulated utilities) to control our water heaters.

Wanted Poster GE Sketch Final

GE ‘stimulated’ by $300 million water heater rebate

Everyday seems to bring new revelations about federal stimulus money earmarked for the Obama-blessed General Electric. Yesterday it was smart meters, today’s scheme involves water heaters.

GE will be selling water heaters that, as described by SmartGridToday,

…lets utilities regulate the use by sending signals wirelessly to them from smart meters.

According to the GE press release,

Additionally, the smart appliance qualifies for Energy Star rebate programs… In July, the U.S. Department of Energy announced the availability of nearly $300 million in funding for state-run Energy Star rebate programs as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act stimulus plan.

The Obama-Immelt Pact (rentseeking-for-lobbying) is corrupt enough but it’s made positively execrable by its ends — allowing the government (through regulated utilities) to control our water heaters.

Wanted Poster GE Sketch Final