The Wall Street Journal‘s Kimberley Strassel reports today that the businesses in the U.S. Climate Action Partnership are beginning to realize that the cap and trade was never about global warming: “People are learning,” says William Kovacs, vice president of environment, technology and regulatory affairs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (which has been cautious about embracing a climate plan). “The Obama budget did more to help us consolidate and coalesce the business community than anything we could have done. It’s opened eyes to the fact that this is about …
The Obama Administration’s recent budget has some of the most revealing text in the smallest font. Put on your green eyeshade and get out your wonk decoder ring. We’re heading down into the weeds to hunt budget big game. Footnote 5 of Table S-6 starts off “Shown here are those proceeds from auctioning emission allowances that are reserved for clean energy technology initiatives and to compensate families through the Making Work Pay tax cut.” This is in reference to “Total, climate revenues” of $645,711,000,000 which are to come from the …
Discovery News reports: For those who have endured this winter’s frigid temperatures and today’s heavy snowstorm in the Northeast, the concept of global warming may seem, well, almost wishful. But climate is known to be variable — a cold winter, or a few strung together doesn’t mean the planet is cooling. Still, according to a new study, global warming may have hit a speed bump and could go into hiding for decades. Earth’s climate continues to confound scientists. Following a 30-year trend of warming, global temperatures have flatlined since 2001 …
Is still a tax. This notion is especially important now as more people are beginning to recognize what a cap-and-trade program to reduce carbon dioxide actually is: a heavy tax on energy consumption. The Wall Street Journal bluntly says, “If it brings in revenue that the government then spends, it’s a tax, and politicians should start referring to it as such.” And the revenue will be quite large; if enacted a cap-and-trade program will generate enough revenue to become the sixth largest source of federal receipts by 2019. In his …
In his weekly radio and Internet address this past Saturday, President Barack Obama predicted that his agenda would draw attack from “special interests and lobbyists” on several fronts. If by “attack” he meant “support” than Obama is 100% correct. The Center for Public Integrity released a study last week reporting that hundreds of companies are trying to influence who will be the winners and losers under President Obama’s promised cap and trade carbon plans. According to the report: more than 770 companies and interest groups hired an estimated 2,340 lobbyists …
President Obama released his budget blueprint yesterday. Titled, “The New Era of Responsibility,” the full 140-page blueprint, broken down by department, can be found here. The Environmental Protection Agency’s budget, which balloons from $7.8 billion in 2009 to $10.5 billion in 2010, includes the following paragraph: After enactment of the Budget, the Administration will work expeditiously with key stakeholders and Congress to develop an economy-wide emissions reduction program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions approximately 14 percent below 2005 levels by 2020, and approximately 83 percent below 2005 levels by 2050. …
Here is the world temperature diagram from the Hadley Center that some think projects a catastrophic warming (this projection was easier to believe before the cooling of the last several years). The trough-to-peak temperature change from 1910 to 2005 is about .9 degrees C. This is a diagram from our own National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.
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 …
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 …
