Graham withdraws support for climate legislation
By Juliet Eilperin
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, April 25, 2010; A03
The effort to enact comprehensive climate and energy legislation this year suffered a critical blow Saturday when Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (S.C.), the key Republican proponent of the bill, withdrew his support because of what he said was a “cynical political” decision by Democrats to advance immigration legislation first.
The move forced the other two authors of the climate and energy bill, Sens. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) and Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.), to cancel a much-anticipated news conference planned for Monday at which they were to unveil the plan they negotiated with Graham.
Graham, who spent weeks working with Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) on an immigration measure that will appeal to both parties, wrote in an open letter Saturday to leaders of the climate effort, “Moving forward on immigration — in this hurried, panicked manner — is nothing more than a cynical political ploy.”
Late last week, Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) raised the idea of bringing up immigration legislation before an energy bill, and President Obama on Friday criticized Arizona’s tough new immigration law and said Congress must act on immigration or risk leaving the door open to “irresponsibility by others.”
In an interview, Graham said he has become convinced that Democrats have decided to push for an immigration overhaul in an effort to mobilize Hispanic voters, a key political bloc, and that only a focused effort on a climate and energy bill could ensure its passage.
Democrats denied that election-related considerations were driving the focus on immigration, and the White House, Reid, and Kerry and Lieberman said they would continue to press ahead with the climate and energy effort.
Even so, Graham’s departure greatly undermines Democrats’ prospects of picking up the handful of Republican votes needed for passage. “If Senator Graham leaves the effort, a long shot becomes a no-shot,” said Joe Stanko, who heads up government relations for the law firm Hunton & Williams and represents several industries that would face new federal regulation under a climate bill.
more here at WaPo
==============
Joe Romm must be having a conniption fit about right now.
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kate. r. (07:29:59) :
And, what’s with all the red ties at the moment?
——
REPLY: Those are standard-issue “red power ties” in the US Senate. Standard uniform in public is dark blue or gray suit w/red power tie.
So Graham; suddenly doesn’t believe in Global Warming (CAGWMMCC) because the democrats want to pass their “Immigration Reform”; AKA; quick, let’s import more Democrats.
If I were to attend any sort of rally on “Immigration reform”, I would carry a banner with the following message:-
Now Hiring; Immediate Openings.
Illegal Status Mandatory.
Lowest Gratuity Rates Around !
What all of these clowns; Democrats; and Republicans don’t seem to grasp is that the important operative word in “illegal immigration” is the word “illegal”.
If you naturalize and grant immediate citizenship to all 20-30 million “illegals” in the USA; you simply put most of them out of a job right away; and create a giant sucking sound at the borders, and ports, and airports; and any other means people can get in here.
If you grant US citizenship to all the illegal sheep shearers from Australia and New Zealand, presently in the USA; they will all get laid off from their jobs, and a new flood of Aussie and Kiwi shearers will start to arrive to fill all those job vacancies, being offered at submarket wages, and sweat shop working conditions; with the local KiwAussie “coyotes” getting their kickbacks from the assisted “undocumented immigrants.”
In hitech; it is the H1B visa program that exploits underpaid immigrants. The visa belongs to the company; not the immigrant; and it is for a specific time to perform a specific task at that company. It is not convertible to any other job even at the same company; nor is it convertible to an immigration visa. You finish the job; and you go home to where you came from; same thing if you get laid off. And if you complain to somebody about your treatment, then you will get laid off and lose your visa status. Student visas work the same way; you finish the courses you came for, and you go home.
Well of course that’s the way it used to work; the laws were established not to provide cheap labor for the USA; but to upgrade the educated level of the country the student is from; which is why they were required to go home.
Not any more; no matter by what means somebody can set foot here; from Scotland or Kazakhstan or wherever; there is some scoundrel willing to work you to the bone; and of course most often someone of your own culture; so he speaks your language. But your key asset is that star on your forehead that says “ILLEGAL”
Once you lose your illegal status; you are of no use to the “coyote” of watever ethnic or cultural stripe since he can no longer exploit you; so you will be replaced by a newly imported person who wears the “illegal” star label.
So American citizens are simply kidding themselves if they think that any kind of immigration reform that rewards illegality, and ignores the employers of illegal workers, is going to stem the tide.
If employers do need skilled immigrant wokers; then get THOSE WORKERS a real green card immigration visa; with a path to citizenship; and get rid of that H1B scam.
The illegal invasion knows no political party boundaries or economic ones either; silicon valley is crammed full of cultural coyotes of every stripe; RW&A to exploit a continuing stream of invasion.
“”” HawkWatcher (18:49:31) :
When setting immigration policy, Graham and many others in Washington fail to discuss the Constitution and how it may already apply to “undocumented immigrants”. Article IV, Section 4, describes the duty of the federal government to protect the States from invasion. This has not been followed, so some States are bound to take enforcement actions. There are many millions of invaders who now drain taxpayers and destroy budgets through undue and illegal federal and State largesse. It has to be fixed, and amnesty is not an option.
(As an aside, do you think all the States have retained a republican form of government, also guaranteed in Section 4? Hint: republican means self-governing.)
There are no amendments needed, the laws are clear, all we need to do is follow them. “””
Well Hwkwatcher you missed the important part of Article IV Section 4.
“The United States, shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican form of Government; AND SHALL PROTECT EACH OF THEM AGAINST INVASION…… Emphasis mine.
“Illegal immigrant” are not simply “undocument workers”; they are INVADERS; and they are not undocumented; they can get counterfeited documents to prove anything they want. Fake US citizenship, fake US militrary discharge papers, fake green cards, fake social security cards, fake work permits, fake birth certificates.
II is not just about breaking the law; it is about deliberate Government ignoring of the US Constitution; Article IV, Section 4.
Thanks for the link CRS, Dr.P.H. (13:01:19),
Do you know if the EPA has denied all 10 Petitions for Reconsideration of the Endangerment and Cause or Contribute Findings under Section 202(a) of the Clean Air Act?
If anyone ever needs a list of reasons the finding is flawed, take a look at these Petitions starting with the Peabody summary.
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/endangerment/petitions.html
John from CA (16:35:25) :
Thanks for the link CRS, Dr.P.H. (13:01:19),
Do you know if the EPA has denied all 10 Petitions for Reconsideration of the Endangerment and Cause or Contribute Findings under Section 202(a) of the Clean Air Act?
If anyone ever needs a list of reasons the finding is flawed, take a look at these Petitions starting with the Peabody summary.
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/endangerment/petitions.html
——-
REPLY:
You are most welcome, John! In reviewing the petitions, you will see what an uphill climb this administration has vs. its own party. Many of the petitioners represent union-heavy carbon industries in blue (or blue wanna-be) states, so I never expected the Lurch/Lieb/Graham bill to ever amount to much.
It is interesting, as vast sections of US industry are tired of the bickering and want the USA to clarify its position on carbon!! Caterpillar, Exxon etc. have to deal with the EU and others on atmosphere, and they are having a tough time planning for future modifications/mitigation steps without this legislation.
Believe me, many in industry just cannot wait to have a US carbon bill pass! They are ready, set, GO in terms of plans to make some big bucks off of it! GE’s Ecomagination effort is a good example.
Great Reply CRS, Dr.P.H. (17:21:36)
After reading over the Petitions for Reconsideration and in the face of the legal implications, I would be surprised if they denied them.
If they had just dumped CO2 from the equation and extended “Green” to include all the other “Green” energy sources (Fuel Cells, Hydroelectric, Nuclear, etc.) and embraced some of the innovations we’ve already paid for via DOE grants since the late ’70s, most of us would have supported the effort.
Who doesn’t want clean water and air? Especially if it includes high sulfur clean coal technologies using new scrubbers and energy storage.
Sadly, solar and wind are less efficient then the current mess and it would be easier to squeeze water from a stone then to get anything intelligent out of Washington these days.
Its good the Bill is of the table for a while. Though, it would have been interesting to hear the politicians explain themselves when Americans fully understand the across-the-board cost increases associated with the scheme, the lost industry and jobs, and the idea of giving away the Carbon licenses to industries that caused the problems.
The Cap and Trade idea is looney. What’s the point of letting industry buy carbon credits so they can continue to pollute?
Make them pay fines and float a bond drive to lend them the necessary capital. Taxpayers get paid back and we all get clean air and water.
Dr. Roy Spencer will be interviewed tonight (Mon.) on Coast-to-Coast from 10pm to 2am Pacific time.
John from CA (18:55:45) :
Great Reply CRS, Dr.P.H. (17:21:36)
REPLY: You are very welcome, I’ve been in this political business for a long time!!
John, you said “The Cap and Trade idea is looney. What’s the point of letting industry buy carbon credits so they can continue to pollute? Make them pay fines and float a bond drive to lend them the necessary capital. Taxpayers get paid back and we all get clean air and water.”
I think that is exactly the model that the USEPA is considering, and this link gives some validation to that thought:
—–
The Environmental Protection Agency is exploring whether to use the Clean Water Act to control greenhouse gas emissions, which are turning the oceans acidic at a rate that’s alarmed some scientists.
With climate change legislation stalled in Congress, the Clean Water Act would serve as a second front, as the Obama administration has sought to use the Clean Air Act to rein in emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases administratively.
http://news.firedoglake.com/2010/04/05/will-the-epa-regulate-carbon-dioxide-using-the-clean-water-act/
——
This is EXACTLY what I was predicting would happen!!
Clean Water Act (CWA) is used to set discharge limits for organic carbon pollution (measured as 5-day biochemical oxygen demand and suspended solids), and the Feds regulate via NPDES permits (National Pollutant Discharge Emission Standards), working in conjunction with state and tribal enforcement.
CWA allows for point-source polluters (sewage plants, industry etc.), non-point sources, and various others such as storm runoff, agricultural runoff etc.
It would be easy for EPA to do this, and avoid the whole market-driven junk completely!! Considering how badly Wall Street has handled things, the Fed may just decide to do this without private involvement. That keeps the Mafia and other privateers at distance.
Cap and trade are merely incentives to assist industry with compliance, but there is nothing magical about the process, and I think the administration is deciding that Wall Street will be an unreliable partner.
Update: Here’s the EPA FAQ:
“Questions and Answers Regarding EPA’s Federal Register Notice on
the Clean Water Act Section 303(d) Program and Ocean Acidification”
http://www.epa.gov/owow/tmdl/oceanfrMarch_2010/pdf/qa_ocean_acid_frn.pdf
“Hokey Smokes, Bullwinkle!” This is how they will do it, forget about the Clean Air Act!!
The Obama Administration is doing exactly what I would do, if my intent was to destroy the country from within. They are spending like drunken sailors, racking up debts that can not possibly be repaid.
There is no credible rationale for the current spending. When the sub-prime crisis first hit, it was necessary to infuse the banking system with liquidity to avoid runs on insolvent banks. That happened during the Depression, which is what made the Depression so severe.
The first infusion of cash was necessary to avoid a panic. But Obama has already spent 2 – 3 times more than that in his first year in office. And it is completely unnecessary spending.
Within a few years the chickens will come home to roost. The US Government Accounting Office recently stated that using reasonable assumptions, about 93 cents of out of every every dollar of federal revenue will be spent on the major entitlement programs and net interest costs by 2020. That is only a little over nine (9) years away. We will never get to that point without a major disruption.
And those are only the major entitlement programs like Social Security, Medicare, etc., which will suck up 93 cents of every tax dollar. That does not count the enormous new spending that will be required by Obama’s government takeover of the U.S. healthcare system, or by the huge added expense resulting from the much higher interest rates that are certain to occur over the next nine years as a direct result of that deliberate overspending. Obama wasn’t joking when he said he was going to fundamentally transform America.
With 93¢ out of every dollar of revenue spoken for by only a few major entitlement programs, that leaves the remaining 7¢ of every tax dollar to run the government, including funding the military — which is Obama’s main target.
Even doubling the current tax rates will raise insufficient revenue to fund the current and proposed programs. So what will happen?
Let’s look at what is now happening in Greece, which is an example of a country living far beyond its means. Greece will default — unless the EU rescues it, which will mean the rest of the EU taxpayers will be subsidizing Greek profligacy. Spain is not far behind Greece, and if Greece is rescued, Spain will have its hand out, as will all other countries that have consistently overspent.
Therefore, an EU rescue of Greece is unlikely. The fly in the ointment is that the EU, including Greece, uses the Euro as a common currency. They now face a major dilemma, which the Euro may not survive.
Watch what happens to Greece. When the U.S. defaults on its debt obligations, as it must, due to the trillions of new dollars printed and wasted by the Administration, it will be just like Greece, but doubled and squared. Savings will be entirely wiped out for many people, who will then have to depend on government handouts. That is what the people now running the government intend: Never listen to their words. Watch what they are doing.
The government, ravenous for more money to keep the current system going without cutting off its favored special interests, will go after every dollar they can find, while printing more. Our credit will be downgraded from AAA to junk status when foreign countries no longer buy our debt, and interest rates will necessarily rise in order to entice scarce new buyers. The repercussions will be felt world wide. Enjoy low interest rates while you can, they will not stay like this for the next nine years. Lock in long term fixed rate mortgages while the getting is good.
The fact that this is planned is evidenced by the wholly unnecessary printing of multiple $trillions, long after the banking panic has passed. It is not simple greed, which can easily be personally satisfied by the President and Congress, who are in a position to feather their own nests financially. They know, better than most, exactly what they are doing to the country, and they know what the results must be. Their actions are deliberate, and can only be intended to financially destroy the country, and the ultimate goal, to gut our military and turn over our sovereignty to the totally corrupt UN and World Court. Even Stevie Wonder could see this scheme.
When the government sets up a situation where 93% of its total revenue will be eaten up by just the major entitlement programs, not including the government’s recent takeover of private medical care, thus leaving only the remaining 7% to fund the entire federal government, and the military, they know exactly what they are doing and what the ultimate consequences will be. And none dare call it treason.
The approaching government bubble and subsequent crash will make the sub-prime mortgage crisis look like a minor hiccup.
Smokey (04:41:41) :
I agree about the mistakes “Tax and Spend”, opting for large government, and the unfunded debt problem but the monetary policy is to not tighten to early which does make sense. The interest on all this is a big issue but the US government has been the biggest buyer of the debt.
Exactly how this will wash out in the end has yet to be announced but look for the markets to tank a bit when they tighten and start reducing the debt.
Debt Clock: http://www.usdebtclock.org/
The economic issue is innovation – the rest, IMHO, is just window dressing. So as CRS, Dr.P.H. (22:43:58) : points out, the Clean Water Act is a logical approach but they stop steering the solutions to junk like solar and wind until storage is available.
Clean water is a Municipal issue and they are already starting to us Biogas to drive Fuel Cells to make the process more efficient. Water Hammer water heaters/purifiers are another interesting approach.
I hope the DOE surprises us all.
sorry lots of spelling issues – I need more coffee
Reid caves to Graham, will introduce Cap and Trade before immigration!
http://hotair.com/archives/2010/04/27/reid-caves-to-graham-will-introduce-cap-and-trade-before-immigration/
This confirms the lead that R. de Haan has posted:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/27/AR2010042705335.html
This is a HOT topic right now! The city of Chicago is undergoing no small measure of unrest due to the Arizona legislation, and I’m sure it is also stirring up Hispanic audiences coast to coast.
The Dems better watch out, they may have opened Pandora’s box with this little political feint! I think it will come back to haunt them…
CRS, Dr.P.H. says:
April 27, 2010 at 9:43 pm
Just ran across this article on Baltimore Sun’s site.
EPA turns up climate heat as Senate dithers
APRIL 28, 2010
“With prospects for a Senate climate bill under a cloud, the Obama administration has turned up the heat. The Environmental Protection Agency says in a new report that there is “clear evidence” that human activities are altering the Earth’s atmosphere and that climate is changing.”
“The EPA report lays out 24 “indicators” showing that climate is already shifting, most of them spotting trends in the United States. Greenhouse gas emissions have increased 14 percent in the United States from 1990 to 2008.”
======
I read over your prior EPA link and was surprised by some of the numbers.
2010 U.S. Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report
• Landfills accounted for approximately 22 percent of total U.S. anthropogenic methane (CH4) emissions in 2008
• Wastewater treatment accounted for approximately 4 percent U.S. anthropogenic methane (CH4) emissions
• The incineration of waste in the United States in 2008 resulted in 13.1 Tg CO2 Eq. emissions, nearly half of which is attributable to the combustion of plastics.
• Between 1990 and 2008, CH4 emissions from agricultural activities increased by 14.4 percent, while N2O emissions fluctuated from year to year, but overall increased by 7.0 percent.
• Energy-related activities accounted for approximately 37 percent of total U.S. anthropogenic methane (CH4) and 13% of nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions in 2008
Note: Scrubbers and Fuel Cells are highly effective but they are not required in older plants that are “grandfathered” under the new environmental laws. It seems like this is the logical place to devote the initial effort?
CRS, Dr.P.H.,
I guess the bottom line of all this is that the proposed Carbon Tax, Cap & Trade Scheme, and inadequate solutions like “Smart meters” only address symptoms of the problem instead of the root cause.
Decentralizing the power grid is the solution along with the capture of wasted resources like anthropogenic methane and high sulfur coal that yields hydrogen from SO2.
The problem is, Industry can’t make a long term buck on true solutions?
Example:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhJqudT0Lh8&hl=en_US&fs=1&]
Does this reflect the views of the masses. Repulsive bias, penny wise and pound foolish.
read the different consideration:
Frumins ability to review long-standing rules and centuries of precedent to resolve Senate questions makes the mustachioed parliamentarian something of a Washington rock star these days. As much as any elected official, Frumin, 63, holds decisive power over whether the Democrats rewrite of the health care system survives or sinks. “Youre our new celebrity,” Sen.