By Myron Ebell, via Globalwarming.org
The chance that the Senate will pass a comprehensive energy-rationing (a k a climate) bill this year remains close to zero. BP’s big oil spill in the Gulf changes very little.
The global warming movement peaked last June 26 when the House passed the Waxman-Markey bill. When members went home for the Fourth of July, many who voted for it discovered that their constituents were angry and mobilized.
Seeing the public reaction, Senator Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) dropped plans to move a cap-and-trade bill before the August recess and turned to health care reform. It’s been all downhill since then.
The Kerry-Boxer bill, which is very similar to Waxman-Markey, passed the Environment and Public Works Committee last fall, but it was clear that it couldn’t get 51 votes, let alone 60, on the floor. That’s when Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) began working on a “middle-of-the-road” package with Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.).
Even if he does finally release a draft of the measure this week, it’s still not going anywhere. Whether Graham is on board doesn’t matter because he doesn’t bring any other Republicans with him.
Kerry’s draft has restricted cap-and trade to electric utilities only. And he’s stopped calling it cap-and-trade because the American people have figured out that it is an indirect tax on them. Now it’s “pollution reduction and investment.” Similarly, a gasoline tax has been renamed “linked fee.” Call it whatever you want, it’s still a tax that consumers will have to pay. Adding some offshore oil or nuclear incentives or clean coal research can’t hide the fact that prices will go up when energy is rationed.
What’s become increasingly apparent is that this legislation no longer has much to do with reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It’s a monstrous collection of payoffs to big business special interests, ranging from Goldman Sachs to Duke Energy to General Electric.
(This piece by Mr. Ebell originally appeared on the New York Times’s Room for Debate web site as part of a collection of responses to the bill)
Meanwhile in Europe
Europe’s climate commissioner Connie Hedegaard is to set out the case for a unilateral 30% EU cut in CO2.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/science_and_environment/10109088.stm
At the end of May she will unveil research examining the consequences to Europe’s economy of outdoing the current 20% target.
Lucky us
Geir in Norway says:
May 11, 2010 at 11:50 am
What are you Americans complaining about?
At least you are miles away from the measures ALREADY implemented in politically-correct Norway:
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Geir, we want to KEEP it that way. Perhaps we can ship you all our yapping greenie socialists in trade for your want to be capitalists. At least then we would be happy even if the socialists are not.
“The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings. The inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of misery.”
If you haven’t watched the Beck series on Cap and Trade, you should. He isn’t the source of this information, but brings together new wrinkles I hadn’t seen elsewhere.
http://dailybayonet.com/?p=3755
The IBD also covered it. Pray to God this cannot be implemented.
http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article.aspx?id=531731
Where is this monster energy tax Bill?
From what I read…..
.It’s all Greek to me.
As for the posts you write everyday, it seems that the only solution for green-nuts is to make a kind of green-parks, reserves or camps, or whatever you may call them, where they could happily and ecologically live with their peers and fellow Gaia believers without disturbing the rest of free human kind.
Anyway, if they insist in their non sensical preaching you should insist in making them happy ASAP.
“pollution reduction and investment” ?
There must be a error… I think it must be the “EPA & Gore Economic Portfolio bill”, or “liberty reduction & Profiteering bill”…
Geir in Norway,
When I was in Salzgitter Bad Germany last year nothing good was ever mentioned of their own massive commitment to windfarms, methane sequestering plants and green tech by those benefiting/paying for such save one, “Thank god they’re done with that!” They too are well aware of the staggering costs of going green and those connected few in key positions making massive profits from the green “hard sell”. Also the chant of “It’s about time!” regarding the German government’s push into increased nuclear power was also taken up by everyone I spoke to. Their building of the enormous storage facility in the region solidified for many in business that their government WAS paying attention to the economic “horror” (they use this word a lot when speaking of the financial drain on the country brought about by the EU collective, its dead-weight countries and green fantasies) of putting a green agenda ahead of the country’s citizenry.
Sad thing here is the history of those who have already done as Obama dreams of is there for all to see yet being ignored/denied by the American media, the American Politico and those in America’s halls of learning. Looking at the economic reality of “going green” its easy to see who the real owners of the title “denier” are starting with this current incarnation of POTUS.
The Federal Government, if you include the Postal Service, and the Armed Services employ a little over 4 Million people. Approx 3% of the workforce.
State and Local Governments employ about the same number (if you include highway workers, State Patrol, etc.)
That comes out to about 6% of the Workforce, and I think you’d have a hard time classifying Members of the Armed Forces, Postal Workers, State Troopers, and Highway Workers as “bureaucrats, shuffling papers.”
No national law can have, as a rational objective, the solution of the AGW “crisis”, simply because there is no possible national solution to a global “crisis” such as AGW.
“When you realize that you are digging yourself into a hole, the first logical imperative is to STOP DIGGING.”
The Copenhagen approach of emissions reductions by the developed countries while the developing countries continue building coal plants as fast as possible was totally illogical and irrational, though perhaps attractive to diplomats from a diplomatic perspective.
IEA has recently estimated a global investment requirement of $45 trillion by 2025 to begin reducing global carbon emissions. That ain’t “chump change”. The investors who provide those investment $ would require an annual return of ~$4.5 trillion. That ain’t “chump change” either.
I cannot understand rational governments (oxymoron?) committing to investments of that magnitude based on the quality of the data, the clarity of the analyses and the predictive capability of the climate models we currently have available.
OH MY GOSH! You mean to tell me it REALLY is all about the money? Well, I am just floored! To think that these congress people would even consider passing laws that would favor one group over another – – I am just beside-my-self! Well, shucks! I’ll bet they even buy stock in these companies and then when they get out of Congress even get appointed to their boards or management teams with nice big fat salaries. Well, it’s down-right un-American I tell ya! Trouble! We got trouble! Right here in River City – – – is that somewhere in Texas?
Now my good friends, it behooves me to be solemn and declare,
I’m for goodness and for profit and for living clean and saying daily prayer.
And now, my good friends, you can sleep nights, I’ll continue to stand tall.
You can trust me, for I promise, I shall keep a watchful eye upon ya’ll…
Ooh I love to dance a little sidestep, now they see me now they don’t-
I’ve come and gone and, ooh I love to sweep around the wide step,
cut a little swathe and lead the people on.
Thanks Charles Durning…
Kum Dollison,
There is an ever increasing number of government bureaucrats. Maybe you’re one, eh? And that’s only half of the problem. Here’s the other half.
That should read “some big business”. Not everyone gets a piece of the pie, just the politically correct. GE makes windmills, so they want a mandate for them. Nothing like a law forcing the purchase of products that don’t sell otherwise.
While Cap and Trade may seem dead (so did Health Care a few months back) it may rise again. If not, the EPA will stuff it down our throats. End result: everything will cost more. Good for those on the receiving end, less so for those who have to pay for it.
It’s not about saving the planet, it’s about money. Always has been. Always will.
Them that’s got the gold make the rules. (old pithy cliche)
Them that makes the rules gets the gold. (today’s standard)
Kum Dollison at 1:14 pm said:
I think you’d have a hard time classifying Members of the Armed Forces, Postal Workers, State Troopers, and Highway Workers as “bureaucrats, shuffling papers.”
Kum, the problem is, we’ve gone from a majority of “profit-making” tax-producing jobs to a majority of “profit-eating” tax-consuming government jobs. The total number of government jobs now exceeds the total number of goods producing/servicing jobs. While the tax $$$ are still greater, if we do not STOP the growth of government and the massive increases in Gov. salaries, well – just call us Greece II. And the Chinese will out bail us out.
http://www.businessinsider.com/chart-of-the-day-goods-producing-wrokers-vs-government-payroll-2010-1
This is just one of many reports (and charts) on the subject.. WSJ had one also a few weeks back.
Smokey, I’m a retired insurance salesman who, outside of a 3 yr stint in the USMC, has never drawn a penny from the government in my life. I just don’t like the people on “my team” to be uninformed.
“The chance that the Senate will pass a climate bill this year remains close to zero.”
The magic number in the ‘energy debate’ is steam coal at $85/ton. Market forces/Cap and Tax, doesn’t really matter.
That’s the price at which nuclear power ends up costing the same as coal according to a 2008 CBO study.
The price of steam coal on the global markets is now over $100/ton.
Globally,coal is no longer the cheapest way to generate electricity.
Even in the US Central Appalachian coal is currently trading above $60/ton plus delivery and no one expects is to stay there when an economic recovery manages to finally arrive.
Milwaukee Bob,
14 Million people are employed in Manufacturing in the U.S.
http://www.industryweek.com/articles/the_face_of_american_manufacturing_14159.aspx?ShowAll=1
The Federal Government, if you include the Armed Forces (1.5 Million,) and the Postal Service (0.7 million,) Employs a little over 4 Million people.
Kum Dollison,
Sorry, I assumed you were being defensive. But if you break down the growth in government, there isn’t much if any growth in the USPS, the military, or the other categories that actually support the infrastructure.
Government growth is in completely non-essential services, and in the inflated pay and the rapidly multiplying supervisor positions. Did you read the link? For example, only 2 1/2 years ago the Transportation Department had one individual who was paid over $170,000 a year. Today, 1,690 Transportation Dep’t employees are paid over $170,000 a year. See the problem?
If those make-work jobs were vacated and advertised, there would be a line of applicants from Miami to Washington, D.C. That means the compensation is far too high for whatever work is performed. And the rest of us are paying for it.
Smokey, I was responding to Gail’s comment that 20% of our workforce was in government, bureaucratic, paper-shuffling jobs. That, of course, is silly.
I’m not a fan of “big government,” by no means. I’ve never voted Democratic in any Major Election. However, false statements, and hyperbole do No one any good.
Goldman-Sachs and GE. They keep popping up.
they call it riding the gravy train
Kum Dollison
You left out ACORN. An ACORN kid, about 25 I suppose, had a petition in front of Long’s Drugs one day. He wanted to stir up something about a power plant in Colorado. He actually said he worked for the government. I saw his mouth say it with my very own eyes. So people are being paid by the government to stand in front of busy places and have petitions signed.
It will be a tragedy for the United States if it spurns the chance to take the lead in the burgeoning new energy industries like solar, tidal and wind.
China has already moved ahead, and the jobs will go there. Some will probably come here to Europe, so Thank You, Mr. Republicans!
Actually, CO2 is plant food. Politicians are payoffs go together like peanut butter and jam. Except in the case of politicians, the consequence of their purchased affection is enslavement to the institutions to whom they answer. They’re like human vending machines. Put in your money and select your product. They deliver only after the money’s in their pockets….maybe.
Kum Dollison:
As if the federal government had the only government employees in the USA. Better take a good look around and open your eyes. States, counties and cities also have employees on the government payroll. I am long since retired, but in my career as a civil engineer I worked for both state and local (city) government, as well as in the private sector, and the total number of government employees has been increasing by leaps and bounds over the last half century, with more and more of then doing either useless or even counter-productive “jobs”.
Worse yet, government employees, with compensation considered in total, now make on average far more than the equivalent level employees do in the private sector.
Been there, watched it happen.
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toby says:
May 12, 2010 at 2:15 am
It will be a tragedy for the United States if it spurns the chance to take the lead in the burgeoning new energy industries like solar, tidal and wind.
China has already moved ahead, and the jobs will go there. Some will probably come here to Europe, so Thank You, Mr. Republicans!
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The tragedy is that the US government insists on interfering with the energy industy. If they would just get out of the way, we would be fine and have a robust economy creating new jobs. Government is taken best in small doses.