The American Clean Energy and Security (Waxman-Markey) bill was passed by the US House of Representatives. The bill aims to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions 17% by 2020 and over 80% by 2050 compared to 2005 levels. A limited number of pollution permits would be issued. Most of the permits would initially be given away free to utilities, manufacturers, state governments and others. The permits could then be traded or sold.
The major features of the bill are
- Requires electric utilities to meet 20% of their electricity demand through renewable energy sources and energy efficiency by 2020.
- Invests $190 billion in new clean energy technologies and energy efficiency, including energy efficiency and renewable energy ($90 billion in new investments by 2025), carbon capture and sequestration ($60 billion), electric and other advanced technology vehicles ($20 billion), and basic scientific research and development ($20 billion).
- Mandates new energy-saving standards for buildings, appliances, and industry.
- Reduces carbon emissions from major U.S. sources by 17% by 2020 and over 80% by 2050 compared to 2005 levels.
- Protects consumers from energy price increases.
The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that if passed by the Senate the bill would cost an average of $175 a year per household. As I blogged about recently, according to a recent survey of 2,164 Americans conducted by researchers at George Mason and Yale Universities, a large majorities of Americans support policies for addressing climate change and renewable energy. And they are willing to put their money where their mouth is. Most of the respondents said that they were prepared to pay more to support renewable energy policies. For example, 72 percent supported a renewable portfolio standard that would require electric utilities to produce at least 20 percent of their electricity from wind, solar, or other renewable energy sources, even if it cost the average household an extra $100 a year.
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Where are the brains of the American People? Is anyone thinking of what we are doing and allowing our representatives to do. It seems insane that the claimed large number of Americans would vote for massive increases in utilities, especially when there is so little clear evidence of global warming itself. If there were 80 or 90 percent of scientists who would give us clear unquestionable evidence of warming there might be some space to discuss the question. But the opposite is happening. We are hearing regular reports even in the news that the earth is really cooling. What are we going to believe? Who is telling the truth? Are we going to approve these bills of insane spending when things are getting cooler? Where are the Americans who are really thinking of what we are doing? Do our elected leaders want to honestly debate this question or simply cram a lot of nonsense down our throats and we like dumb sheep simply pay the bills?
Posted by: Richard W. Barker | June 27, 2009 at 06:24 PM