In last night’s speech, President Obama remarked, “So I ask this Congress to send me legislation that places a market-based cap on carbon pollution and drives the production of more renewable energy in America.” Today the House Committee on Ways and Means held a hearing on the scientific objectives for climate change legislation, but according to a reliable source, the hearing evolved into a debate amongst Democrats arguing on the merit of a carbon tax versus a cap-and-trade. Several members of the committee raised concerns over a cap-and-trade program and questioned whether …
That’s according to Jonathon Porritt, who chairs the UK’s Sustainable Development Commission. The carbon footprint from having more than two children will inflict too much damage on the environment to justify having any more. Straight from Porritt’s mouth: I am unapologetic about asking people to connect up their own responsibility for their total environmental footprint and how they decide to procreate and how many children they think are appropriate. I think we will work our way towards a position that says that having more than two children is irresponsible. It …
That’s how the American voters feel. In a poll conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of the American Petroleum Institute, 61 percent of Americans support access to oil and natural gas resources in federal waters on the Outer Continental Shelf and the Gulf of Mexico. Only 26 percent opposed. It should be noted that Harris conducted these interviews from February 13 – February 16, 2009, when gas prices were much lower than the $4-per-gallon prices we faced over the summer. Another interesting find: When asked, “If you were to learn …
Recently, House Members have added a provision to the Omnibus bill that “allows the Interior Department to withdraw two Endangered Species Act rules (one on Section 7 consultation and another on polar bears) within 60 days of enactment.” There are two key questions to be addressed under this provision. 1.) What does this mean for global warming policy and 2.) What does this mean for infrastructure spending projects designed to stimulate the economy? Let’s begin with the stimulus. In a plan that was intended to be quick and temporary, Congress …
So I ask this Congress to send me legislation that places a market-based cap on carbon pollution and drives the production of more renewable energy in America. It was a fairly innocuous sounding request in President Barack Obama’s speech, but it would cost more than anything else he mentioned. That’s saying a lot, since the speech contained a number of expensive promises, including a big budget coming on the heels of the colossal stimulus package. But, beyond the impacts of a bloated annual budget, a global warming cap and trade …
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Continuing their fabulous work fighting for transparency in government, The Sunlight Foundation‘s Nancy Watzman has a series of posts up this week asking that Congress afford the American public a mere 72 hours to read legislation before they take it up for consideration. Her first post recounts how terribly President Barack Obama’s economic stimulus bill violated transparency in government principles: When the Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced a deal on February 11, he said, “Like any negotiation, this involved give-and-take-and if you don’t mind my saying so, that’s an …
Omnibus spending bills are typically end-of-the-year bills laden with wasteful earmarks and specific pet projects that cost the taxpayer billions of dollars. Because of the stimulus bill Congress pushed Omnibus legislation for the fiscal year 2009 into February with a vote in the House expected to come this week and a vote in the Senate the following week. Since most Members of Congress have some stake in the game, these bills always tend to pass despite public outcries to curb unnecessary government spending. But this time, it could end up …
During President Obama’s address to a joint session of Congress last night, Heritage analysts and scholars offered advice and criticism of policies said and unsaid. From Foreign Policy to Nuclear Energy to price controls on the economy, Heritage covered it all:
President Barack Obama reiterated his promise to impose invasive and strict carbon caps on our nation’s economy last night. He failed to mention what effect they would have on our nation’s economic recovery. Fortunately for the rest of the nation, but unfortunately for them, California has already adopted strict new carbon capping rules. The result? They are a jobs killer. The New York Times reports: Only a few years ago, CalPortland planned on keeping its plant here operating as long as Mount Slover’s limestone held out. … But the company …
