Sen. Joe Lieberman, the Connecticut independent who is a leading sponsor of the bill, says computer studies suggest a modest impact on energy costs, with several projections for continued economic growth. Sponsors says the bill also offers billions of dollars in tax breaks to offset higher energy bills.
“Serveral” projections for economic growth? How nice, several out of how many (bogus) simulations. We have computer models on top of computer models.
The debate on global warming is viewed as a watershed in climate change politics. Yet both sides acknowledge the prospects for passage are slim this election year.
Thank goodness.
Only a few senators now dispute the reality of global warming. Still, there is a sharp divide over how to shift lessen the country’s heavy dependence on coal, oil and natural gas without passing along substantially higher energy costs to people..
Scary, very scary. Is less CO2 good? Without a doubt
The petroleum industry, manufacturers and business groups have presented study after study, based on computer modeling, that they say bear out the massive cost and disruption from mandating lower carbon emissions.
Environmental groups counter with studies that show modest cost increases from the emission caps provide new incentives to develop alternative energy sources and promote energy efficiency and conservation.
I have no issue with what the environmental groups want. If they get what they ask for, the backlash may be much larger than they expect.
“This debate is going to be mostly about costs,” says Daniel Lashoff, director of the Climate Center at the Natural Resources Defense Council. “But we want to make sure in that debate we don’t forget that the cost of inaction on global warming would be much higher than the cost of the emission reductions called for in this bill.”
And where exactly is the global warming over the last 10 years?
These reductions “will not only enable us to avoid the ravages of unchecked global warming, but will create millions of new jobs,” contends Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer of California, who heads the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.
Millions of new jobs, this lady just needs to silence herself.
Senators advocating aggressive action on climate change say that would be too late to avert the worst effects of global warming.
The Algore wannabes.
Also in dispute is the distribution of pollution allowances. Many Democrats, including Clinton and Obama, to auction all allowances. The Senate bill would give about half of them to states, municipalities and affected industries.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont, said he will try to get that changed so that none goes to what he considers to be special interests.
Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., also wants most, if not all, the allowances auctioned and the money going out in checks to anyone earning $150,000 or less, or $300,000 for couples.
What a fancy name for idiotic income redistribution.
