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Regulations of Mass Job Destruction

Bloomberg is reporting Barack Obama “will classify carbon dioxide as a dangerous pollutant that can be regulated.” As we have reported repeatedly in the past, such a decision would trigger numerous regulatory actions pursuant to the Clean Air Act and empower the Environmental Protection Agency to centrally plan the entire economy.

Since the EPA published its proposed carbon capping plan this summer, the Heritage’s Center for Data Analysis has been using the widely respected Global Insight’s U.S. Macroeconomic Model of the American economy to estimate the economic impacts of CO2 regulations. CDA’s report is not yet finalized, but so far it has found that a decision by a future administration to regulate carbon pursuant to the Clean Air Act would:

  • Reduce aggregate gross domestic product by $6.9 trillion by 2029.
  • Reduce employment in the manufacturing sector by 2.9 million jobs by 2029.
  • Reduce employment in:
    • Mining by 7.4%;
    • Transportation and warehousing by 17%;
    • Durable manufacturing by 28%;
    • Textile mills by 28%;
    • Paper and paper products by 36%;
    • Plastics and rubber products by 54%;
    • Machinery manufacturing by 57%.

The study measures only the likely impacts through 2029, at which point CO2 will have been cut by 31% below the 2005 level. The ultimate CO2 reduction target will likely exceed 70% by 2050. This will add much more to the total economic burden of the regulation.

Tell the EPA what you think of their carbon capping plans here.

  • Author: Conn Carroll
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5 Comments

October 16, 2008 Regulations of Mass Job Destruction | The Gaia Resource writes:

[...] Read more: Regulations of Mass Job Destruction [...]

October 17, 2008 Institute for Energy Research » Blog Archive » Regulating CO2 Under the Clean Air Act—Not the Kind of Change We Have Been Waiting For writes:

[...] The Heritage Foundation’s Center for Data Analysis has estimated the economic impacts of carbon di…, finding that regulating carbon dioxide using the Clean Air Act would: [...]

October 18, 2008 Thomas Gray, South Carolina writes:

Energy Plan. Draft.

Solar and wind are currently being manufactured useing FF and thus the cost must increase to provide these products,, IF we use atom power to manufacture these products we will not be dependant on outside energy support that many now realize we are critically dependent on today.

At the least we are going to need some diplomicy if we cannot vote down carbon caps. I think they will become a lesser issue as all manufacturing / transportation begins a forced decline and the ensuing job losses that we are now seeing.

Tom.

October 19, 2008 Guy Arnold writes:

CO2 is used in so many things we utilize in life the EPA will kill ouir national defence if CO2 is removed from out industrial use in the USA.

http://WWW.oilanswerman.com

October 20, 2008 The Costs of Regulating CO2 Under the Clean Air Act | Energy-Crisis.Org writes:

[...] The Heritage Foundation’s Center for Data Analysis has estimated the economic impacts of carbon di…, finding that regulating carbon dioxide using the Clean Air Act would: [...]

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