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House Energy Bill - Thoughts? |
by Jason Rosenbaum :: Filed Under The Environment :: June 27th, 2009 @ 6:22 pm EST
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The House passed the Waxman-Markey energy bill last night.
There’s a lot of dicussion in the progressive community about whether this bill was indeed worth passing. My personal view is a bit split. On the one hand, the Senate is still a large hurdle that needs to be cleared, and this bill in its current form might not actually do much for our energy and climate problems. On the other, when it’s this late in the game, you’ve lost most of your ability to affect the outcome anyway, so might as well pass it.
But I’m curious to know what others think. Care to weigh in?
It is an energy bill that EPA says will actually REDUCE the amount of energy we bring on-line, has targets that are too weak, gives billions of dollars to coal and oil to ensure our dependence of fossil fuels, does not require clean-up until 2025, has indefensible levels of offsets and allows the Dept of Ag to administer them, and undermines the accounting on the RFS to ensure that biofuels that are WORSE then oil will be used in our country. Oh, and it undermines the clean air act too… I’m not seeing how this is a good bill or a step forward. Now we send it to the Senate where they will light it up with nuclear waste… change we can count on.
This is a lousy bill that has little or no scientific evidence to back it up. I am so tired of all the hype that green energy is going to create millions of jobs. No one bothers to explain when or where these jobs are, but it makes great Propangda. In case anyone forgets we are in a recession still bordering on a depression%u2014we need jobs now not some pie in the sky future jobs bank. It also amazes me that the answer to alleged carbon emissions and immediate job growth is in front of out noses%u2014 nuclear power. Zero carbon emissions and cheap energy. Currently the average cost per kilowatt hour in the State of Maryland is 15 cents/hour and rising. Under all Obama plans the cost of electricity will dramatically rise even further. Calvert Cliffs a nuclear generating power station in Maryland is charging 5 cents/hour! Think of what that means to the consumer and business. Your utility bill is cut by two thirds for electric. New technology has solved the disposal of waste materials from Nuc plants so what is the problem? Immediate job growth and cheaper energy. France is the showplace for nuclear power in that she generates 80% of her electric needs from nucs. Yet here, the left has such a misinformed and personal agenda that it can%u2019t even be discussed. Truly a tyranny of the few against the public good.