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S 2191
To direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to establish a program to decrease emissions of greenhouse gases, and for other purposes.
October 18, 2007
Mr. LIEBERMAN (for himself, Mr. WARNER, Mr. HARKIN, Mr. COLEMAN, Mrs. DOLE, Ms. COLLINS, Mr. CARDIN, Ms. KLOBUCHAR,
May 20, 2008
Reported by Mrs. BOXER, with an amendment
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic]
To direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to establish a program to decrease emissions of greenhouse gases, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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Calendar Year Number of Emission Allowances (in Millions)
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[Struck out->] 2012 [<-Struck out] 5,200
[Struck out->] 2013 [<-Struck out] 5,104
[Struck out->] 2014 [<-Struck out] 5,008
[Struck out->] 2015 [<-Struck out] 4,912
[Struck out->] 2016 [<-Struck out] 4,816
[Struck out->] 2017 [<-Struck out] 4,720
[Struck out->] 2018 [<-Struck out] 4,624
[Struck out->] 2019 [<-Struck out] 4,528
[Struck out->] 2020 [<-Struck out] 4,432
[Struck out->] 2021 [<-Struck out] 4,336
[Struck out->] 2022 [<-Struck out] 4,240
[Struck out->] 2023 [<-Struck out] 4,144
[Struck out->] 2024 [<-Struck out] 4,048
[Struck out->] 2025 [<-Struck out] 3,952
[Struck out->] 2026 [<-Struck out] 3,856
[Struck out->] 2027 [<-Struck out] 3,760
[Struck out->] 2028 [<-Struck out] 3,664
[Struck out->] 2029 [<-Struck out] 3,568
[Struck out->] 2030 [<-Struck out] 3,472
[Struck out->] 2031 [<-Struck out] 3,376
[Struck out->] 2032 [<-Struck out] 3,280
[Struck out->] 2033 [<-Struck out] 3,184
[Struck out->] 2034 [<-Struck out] 3,088
[Struck out->] 2035 [<-Struck out] 2,992
[Struck out->] 2036 [<-Struck out] 2,896
[Struck out->] 2037 [<-Struck out] 2,800
[Struck out->] 2038 [<-Struck out] 2.704
[Struck out->] 2039 [<-Struck out] 2,608
[Struck out->] 2040 [<-Struck out] 2,512
[Struck out->] 2041 [<-Struck out] 2,416
[Struck out->] 2042 [<-Struck out] 2,320
[Struck out->] 2043 [<-Struck out] 2,224
[Struck out->] 2044 [<-Struck out] 2,128
[Struck out->] 2045 [<-Struck out] 2,032
[Struck out->] 2046 [<-Struck out] 1,936
[Struck out->] 2047 [<-Struck out] 1,840
[Struck out->] 2048 [<-Struck out] 1,744
[Struck out->] 2049 [<-Struck out] 1,646
[Struck out->] 2050 [<-Struck out] 1,560
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Calendar Year Percentage of Emission Allowance Account Allocated to the Corporation
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Struck out->] 2012 [<-Struck out] 18
[Struck out->] 2013 [<-Struck out] 21
[Struck out->] 2014 [<-Struck out] 24
[Struck out->] 2015 [<-Struck out] 27
[Struck out->] 2016 [<-Struck out] 28
[Struck out->] 2017 [<-Struck out] 31
[Struck out->] 2018 [<-Struck out] 33
[Struck out->] 2019 [<-Struck out] 35
[Struck out->] 2020 [<-Struck out] 37
[Struck out->] 2021 [<-Struck out] 39
[Struck out->] 2022 [<-Struck out] 41
[Struck out->] 2023 [<-Struck out] 43
[Struck out->] 2024 [<-Struck out] 45
[Struck out->] 2025 [<-Struck out] 47
[Struck out->] 2026 [<-Struck out] 49
[Struck out->] 2027 [<-Struck out] 51
[Struck out->] 2028 [<-Struck out] 53
[Struck out->] 2029 [<-Struck out] 55
[Struck out->] 2030 [<-Struck out] 57
[Struck out->] 2031 [<-Struck out] 59
[Struck out->] 2032 [<-Struck out] 61
[Struck out->] 2033 [<-Struck out] 63
[Struck out->] 2034 [<-Struck out] 65
[Struck out->] 2035 [<-Struck out] 67
[Struck out->] 2036 [<-Struck out] 73
[Struck out->] 2037 [<-Struck out] 73
[Struck out->] 2038 [<-Struck out] 73
[Struck out->] 2039 [<-Struck out] 73
[Struck out->] 2040 [<-Struck out] 73
[Struck out->] 2041 [<-Struck out] 73
[Struck out->] 2042 [<-Struck out] 73
[Struck out->] 2043 [<-Struck out] 73
[Struck out->] 2044 [<-Struck out] 73
[Struck out->] 2045 [<-Struck out] 73
[Struck out->] 2046 [<-Struck out] 73
[Struck out->] 2047 [<-Struck out] 73
[Struck out->] 2048 [<-Struck out] 73
[Struck out->] 2049 [<-Struck out] 73
[Struck out->] 2050 [<-Struck out] 73
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Year Bonus Allowance Rate
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Struck out->] 2012 [<-Struck out] 4.5
[Struck out->] 2013 [<-Struck out] 4.5
[Struck out->] 2014 [<-Struck out] 4.5
[Struck out->] 2015 [<-Struck out] 4.5
[Struck out->] 2016 [<-Struck out] 4.5
[Struck out->] 2017 [<-Struck out] 4.5
[Struck out->] 2018 [<-Struck out] 4.2
[Struck out->] 2019 [<-Struck out] 3.9
[Struck out->] 2020 [<-Struck out] 3.6
[Struck out->] 2021 [<-Struck out] 3.3
[Struck out->] 2022 [<-Struck out] 3.0
[Struck out->] 2023 [<-Struck out] 2.7
[Struck out->] 2024 [<-Struck out] 2.4
[Struck out->] 2025 [<-Struck out] 2.1
[Struck out->] 2026 [<-Struck out] 1.8
[Struck out->] 2027 [<-Struck out] 1.5
[Struck out->] 2028 [<-Struck out] 1.3
[Struck out->] 2029 [<-Struck out] 1.1
[Struck out->] 2030 [<-Struck out] 0.9
[Struck out->] 2031 [<-Struck out] 0.7
[Struck out->] 2032 [<-Struck out] 0.5
[Struck out->] 2033 [<-Struck out] 0.5
[Struck out->] 2034 [<-Struck out] 0.5
[Struck out->] 2035 [<-Struck out] 0.5
[Struck out->] 2036 [<-Struck out] 0.5
[Struck out->] 2037 [<-Struck out] 0.5
[Struck out->] 2038 [<-Struck out] 0.5
[Struck out->] 2039 [<-Struck out] 0.5
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Calendar Percentage of Emission Allowance Account Allocated to the Electric Power Sector Percentage of Emission Allowance Account Allocated to the Industrial Sector
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Struck out->] 2012 [<-Struck out] 20
[Struck out->] 2013 [<-Struck out] 20
[Struck out->] 2014 [<-Struck out] 20
[Struck out->] 2015 [<-Struck out] 20
[Struck out->] 2016 [<-Struck out] 20
[Struck out->] 2017 [<-Struck out] 19
[Struck out->] 2018 [<-Struck out] 18
[Struck out->] 2019 [<-Struck out] 17
[Struck out->] 2020 [<-Struck out] 16
[Struck out->] 2021 [<-Struck out] 15
[Struck out->] 2022 [<-Struck out] 14
[Struck out->] 2023 [<-Struck out] 13
[Struck out->] 2024 [<-Struck out] 12
[Struck out->] 2025 [<-Struck out] 11
[Struck out->] 2026 [<-Struck out] 10
[Struck out->] 2027 [<-Struck out] 9
[Struck out->] 2028 [<-Struck out] 8
[Struck out->] 2029 [<-Struck out] 7
[Struck out->] 2030 [<-Struck out] 6
[Struck out->] 2031 [<-Struck out] 5
[Struck out->] 2032 [<-Struck out] 4
[Struck out->] 2033 [<-Struck out] 3
[Struck out->] 2034 [<-Struck out] 2
[Struck out->] 2035 [<-Struck out] 1
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[Struck out->] Energy Assistance Fund [<-Struck out] 20
[Struck out->] Climate Change Worker Training Fund [<-Struck out] 5
[Struck out->] Adaptation Fund [<-Struck out] 20
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`Boiler Type Requirements Minimum Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency Design
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Struck out->] Gas hot water [<-Struck out] 82 percent No constant burning pilot, automatic means for adjusting water temperature
[Struck out->] Gas steam [<-Struck out] 80 percent No constant burning pilot
[Struck out->] Oil hot water [<-Struck out] 84 percent Automatic means for adjusting temperature
[Struck out->] Oil steam [<-Struck out] 82 percent None
[Struck out->] Electric hot water [<-Struck out] None Automatic means for adjusting temperature
[Struck out->] Electric steam [<-Struck out] None None
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) Short Title- This Act may be cited as the `
(b) Table of Contents- The table of contents of this Act is as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Findings.
Sec. 3. Purposes.
Sec. 4. Definitions.
TITLE I--CAPPING GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS
Subtitle A--Tracking Emissions
Sec. 1101. Purpose.
Sec. 1102. Definitions.
Sec. 1103. Reporting requirements.
Sec. 1104. Data quality and verification.
Sec. 1105. Federal greenhouse gas registry.
Sec. 1106. Enforcement.
Subtitle B--Reducing Emissions
Sec. 1201. Emission allowance account.
Sec. 1202. Compliance obligation.
Sec. 1203. Penalty for noncompliance.
Sec. 1204. Rulemaking.
TITLE II--MANAGING AND CONTAINING COSTS EFFICIENTLY
Subtitle A--Trading
Sec. 2101. Sale, exchange, and retirement of emission allowances.
Sec. 2102. No restriction on transactions.
Sec. 2103. Allowance transfer system.
Sec. 2104. Allowance tracking system.
Subtitle B--Banking
Sec. 2201. Indication of calendar year.
Sec. 2202. Effect of time.
Subtitle C--Borrowing
Sec. 2301. Regulations.
Sec. 2302. Term.
Sec. 2303. Repayment with interest.
Subtitle D--Offsets
Sec. 2401. Outreach initiative on revenue enhancement for agricultural producers.
Sec. 2402. Establishment of domestic offset program.
Sec. 2403.
Sec. 2404. Project initiation and approval.
Sec. 2405. Offset verification and issuance of allowances
Sec. 2406. Tracking of reversals for sequestration projects.
Sec. 2407. Examinations.
Sec. 2408. Timing and the provision of offset allowances.
Sec. 2409. Offset registry.
Sec. 2410. Environmental considerations.
Sec. 2411. Program review.
Sec. 2412. Retail carbon offsets.
Subtitle E--International Credit Emission Allowance
Sec. 2501. Use of international
Sec. 2502. Regulations.
Sec. 2503. Facility certification.
Subtitle F--Carbon Market Efficiency Board
Sec. 2601. Purposes.
Sec. 2602. Establishment of Carbon Market Efficiency Board.
Sec. 2603. Duties.
Sec. 2604. Powers.
Sec. 2605. Estimate of costs to economy of limiting greenhouse gas emissions.
TITLE III--ALLOCATING AND DISTRIBUTING ALLOWANCES
Subtitle A--Early Auctions
Sec. 3101. Allocation for early auctions.
S
Subtitle C B
Sec. 3
Sec. 3
Subtitle D--States C--States
Sec. 3
Sec. 3
Sec. 3304. Allocation for mass transit.
Subtitle E--Electricity D--Electricity Consumers
- Sec. 3401. Allocation.Sec. 3402. Distribution.Sec. 3403. Use.Sec. 3404. Reporting.
Subtitle E--Natural Gas Consumers
Sec. 3501. Allocation.
Sec. 3502. Distribution.
Sec. 3503. Use.
Sec. 3504. Reporting.
Subtitle F--Bonus Allowances for Carbon Capture and Geological Sequestration
Sec. 3601. Allocation.
Sec. 3602. Qualifying projects.
Sec. 3603. Distribution.
Sec. 3604. 10-Year limit.
Sec. 3605. Exhaustion of bonus allowance account.
Subtitle G--Domestic Agriculture and Forestry
Sec. 3701. Allocation.
Sec. 3702. Agricultural and forestry greenhouse gas management research.
Sec. 3703. Distribution.
Subtitle H--International Forest Protection
Sec. 3801. Findings.
Sec. 3802. Definition of forest carbon activities.
Sec. 3803. Allocation.
Sec. 3804. Definition and eligibility requirements.
Sec. 3805. International forest carbon activities.
Sec. 3806. Reviews and discount.
Subtitle I--Covered Facilities Transition Assistance
Sec. 3901.
Sec. 3902. Distributi
Sec. 3903. Distributing
Sec. 3904. Distributing emission allowances
Sec. 3905. Distributing emission allowances to owners and operators of facilities and other entities that produce or import petroleum-based fuel.
Sec. 3906. Distributing emission allowances to hydrofluorocarbon producers and importers.
Subtitle J--Reducing Methane Emissions From Landfills and Coal Mines
Sec. 3907. Allocation.
TITLE IV--AUCTIONS AND USES OF AUCTION PROCEEDS
Subtitle A--Funds
Sec. 4101. Establishment.
Sec. 4102. Amounts in
Subtitle B--Climate Change Credit Corporation
Sec. 4201. Establishment.
Sec. 4202. Applicable laws.
Sec. 4203. Board of directors.
Sec. 4204. Review and audit by Comptroller General.
Subtitle C--Auctions
Sec. 4301. Early auctions.
Sec. 4302. Annual auctions.
Subtitle D--Energy Technology Deployment
Sec. 4401.
Sec. 4402. Zero- or low-carbon energy technologies deployment.
Sec. 4403. Advanced coal and sequestration technologies program.
Sec. 4404. Fuel from cellulosic biomass.
Sec. 4405. Advanced technology vehicles manufacturing incentive program.
Sec. 4406. Sustainable energy program.
Subtitle E--Energy Consumers
Sec. 4501. Proportions of funding availability.
Sec. 4502. Rural energy assistance program.
Subtitle F--Climate Change Worker Training Program
Sec. 4601. Funding.
Sec. 4602. Purposes.
Sec. 4603. Establishment.
Sec. 4604.
Sec. 4605.
Subtitle G--Adaptation Program for Natural Resources in United States and Territories
Sec. 4701. Definitions.
Sec. 4702. Adaptation fund.
Subtitle H--International Climate Change Adaptation and National Security Program
Sec. 4801.
Sec. 4802.
Sec. 4803. Establishment.
Subtitle I--Audit Emergency Firefighting Program
Sec. 4901.
TITLE V--ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Subtitle A--Appliance Efficiency
Sec. 5101. Residential boilers.
Sec. 5102. Regional variations in heating or cooling standards.
Subtitle B--Building Efficiency
Sec. 5201. Updating State building energy efficiency codes.
Sec. 5202. Conforming amendment.
TITLE VI--GLOBAL EFFORT TO REDUCE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS
Sec. 6001. Definitions.
Sec. 6002. Purposes.
Sec. 6003. International negotiations.
Sec. 6004. Interagency review.
Sec. 6005. Presidential determinations.
Sec. 6006. International reserve allowance program.
Sec. 6007. Adjustment of international reserve allowance requirements.
TITLE VII--REVIEWS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Sec. 7001. National Academy of Sciences Review
Sec. 7002.
Sec. 7003.
Sec. 7004. Presidential recommendations.
TITLE VIII--FRAMEWORK FOR GEOLOGICAL SEQUESTRATION OF CARBON DIOXIDE
Sec. 8001. National drinking water regulations.
Sec. 8002. Assessment of geological storage capacity for carbon dioxide.
Sec. 8003. Study of the feasibility relating to construction of pipelines and geological carbon dioxide sequestration activities.
Sec. 8004. Liabilities for closed geological storage sites.
TITLE IX--MISCELLANEOUS
Sec. 9001. Paramount interest waiver.
Sec.
Sec. 900
Sec. 900
Sec.
TITLE X--CONTROL OF HYDROFLUOROCARBON CONSUMPTION
- Sec. 10001. Applicability.Sec. 10002. Definitions.Sec. 10003. Cap on hydrofluorocarbon consumption and importation into United States.Sec. 10004. Hydrofluorocarbon consumption allowance account.Sec. 10005. Allocation of hydrofluorocarbon consumption allowances.Sec. 10006. Compliance obligation.Sec. 10007. Sale, exchange, and other uses of hydrofluorocarbon consumption allowances.Sec. 10008. Allowance transfer system.Sec. 10009. Banking and borrowing.Sec. 10010. Hydrofluorocarbon destruction allowances.
TITLE XI--AMENDMENTS TO CLEAN AIR ACT
- Sec. 11001. National recycling and emission reduction program.Sec. 11002. Servicing of motor vehicle air conditioners.Sec. 11003. Carbon dioxide reduction.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds that--
(1) unchecked global warming poses a significant threat to--
(A) the national security and economy of the United States;
(B) public health and welfare in the United States;
(C) the well-being of other countries; and
(D) the global environment;
(2) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, done at New York on May 9, 1992, the United States is committed to stabilizing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that will prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system;
(3) according to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, stabilizing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that will prevent dangerous interference with the climate system will require a global effort to reduce anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions worldwide by 50 to 85 percent below 2000 levels by 2050;
(4) prompt, decisive action is critical, since global warming pollutants can persist in the atmosphere for more than a century;
(5) the ingenuity of the people of the United States will allow the United States to become a leader in curbing global warming;
(6) it is possible and desirable to cap greenhouse gas emissions, from sources that together account for the majority of those emissions in the United States, at
(A) cost containment measures;
(B) periodic review of requirements;
(C) an aggressive program for deploying advanced energy technology;
(D) programs to assist low- and middle-income energy consumers; and
(E) programs to mitigate the impacts of any unavoidable global climate change;
(7) Congress may need to update the emissions caps in order to account for continuing scientific data and steps taken, or not taken, by foreign countries;
(8) accurate emission data and timely compliance with the requirements of the greenhouse gas emission reduction and trading program established under this Act are needed to ensure that reductions are achieved and to provide equity, efficiency, and openness in the market for allowances subject to the program;
(A) the transportation sector, where reducing greenhouse gas emissions requires changes in
(B) the built environment, where reducing direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions requires changes in buildings, appliances, lighting, heating, cooling, and consumer behavior
(10) significant and sustained domestic investments are required to support an aggressive program for developing and deploying advanced technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions;
(11) all, or virtually all, emissions of greenhouse gases from the combustion of natural gas in the United States should be reduced through the inclusion in a cap-and-trade system of entities that sell natural gas in the United States;
(12) including natural gas in a cap-and-trade system in the United States should be carried out in a way that minimizes, to the extent feasible, the number of entities required to submit emission allowances for the natural gas sold by the entities;
(13) including natural gas in a cap-and-trade system in the United States promotes substantial reductions in total United States greenhouse gas emissions while also minimizing, to the extent feasible, the activities within the industrial sector that necessitate the submission of emission allowances;
(14) emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and mercury to the atmosphere from coal-fired electric power generating facilities in the United States inflicts harm on the public health, economy, and natural resources of the United States;
(15) fossil fuel-fired electric power generating facilities emit approximately 67 percent of the total sulfur dioxide emissions, 23 percent of the total nitrogen oxide emissions, 40 percent of the total carbon dioxide emissions, and 40 percent of the total mercury emissions in the United States;
(16) while the reductions in emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and mercury that will occur in the presence of a declining cap on the greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired electric power generating facilities are larger than those that would occur in the absence of such a cap, new, stricter Federal limits on emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and mercury may still be needed to protect public health; and
SEC. 3. PURPOSES.
The purposes of this Act are--
(1) to establish the core of a Federal program that will reduce United States greenhouse gas emissions substantially enough between 2007 and 2050 to avert the catastrophic impacts of global climate change; and
(2) to accomplish that purpose while preserving robust growth in the United States economy
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(A) baseline greenhouse gas fluxes of an offset project; and
(B) greenhouse gas fluxes of the offset project.
(2) ADMINISTRATOR- The term `Administrator' means the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
(3) BASELINE- The term `baseline' means the greenhouse gas flux or carbon stock that would have occurred in the absence of an offset
(4) BIOLOGICAL SEQUESTRATION; BIOLOGICALLY SEQUESTERED- The terms `biological sequestration' and `biologically sequestered' mean--
(A) the removal of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere
(B) the storage of those greenhouse
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Comments
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This bill -- or any climate change bill for that matter -- probably won't be approved during this session of Congress. It'll almost certainly come up for a vote, but I don't think the support is there to pass it. Nonetheless, it's going to be a big factor in how the U.S. responds policy-wise to climate change in the future. Representatives form the oil, coal and gas industries met up for a conference yesterday and agreed that debate of this bill will set the marker for debates next year. And, since its emissions requirements are weaker than some other bills in Congress, that they should support it as the best proposal they are likely to get. Interesting. Bill Scher has more :: http://www.ourfuture.org/blog-entry/fossil-fuel-ceos-their-heels
Here's a video of the whole conference:: http://video.energypolicytv.com/displaypage.php?vkey=9337587f6ab6397699af&channel=Natural%20Gas
Moderated Comment
seems like market economics might get to solving this issue sooner
I agree, as long as we don't pass any dumb price fixing rules, or other "relief".
Filtered Comment [show]
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Boiling the bill down to brass tax, it gives the EPA draconian powers to determine who and who doesn’t need to abide by the regulations in this bill. The language is so broad that the EPA can literally decide that any business or facility must abide by these rules and regulations at their discretion even if they fall outside the scope of a “covered facility”.
The EPA could even decide that homes with fireplaces could be considered an “affected facility” by the bill considering the amount of discretion they are given in determining what is considered to be an “affected facility”.
Whomever the EPA decides is affected by this bill must report all sorts of ridiculous information detailing their carbon footprint to the EPA on a quarterly basis. It gives the EPA extraordinary powers to enforce a carbon credit system and gives them the mandate to levy draconian fines on those in non-compliance with this legislation.
There is no exemption for humans or animals which naturally emit carbon dioxide so the EPA at some point could even include employees and farm animals as contributing to a facilities carbon footprint.
Filtered Comment [show]
Filtered Comment [show]
The creators of this early stage effort to help freedom loving democracies globally serve there countrymen and the world had to put up with the merging of non democratic countries not wanting to help their countrymen and the world. The creators of this bill also created the Geospatial Intelligence Agency http://www.nga.mil/portal/site/nga01/ once they had completed study on global warming with other freedom loving countries in the arctic. This shows Congress' planning for freedom loving Americans and other democratic countries while dealing with other countries who do not believe in liberating them with democracy.
Al Gore won the global Pulitzer award for his eminent work in the global warming and this was stated as deserved along with legislation and agency planning for long term addressing of these global problem by freedom loving democracies.
Open Congress is a global exchange of ideas and is much liked by many countries for their freedom loving democratic approach to democracy and addressing long term global problems. I don't believe this wonder resource would delete this comment as it is from a very humble foreigner trying to participate in democracy with the great country of America and her freedom loving democratic people who liberate countries and show them what democracy is by example, such as the Open Congress resource. Democrats are perfect examples of liberation of countries by democratic example and Open Congress would naturally work with these very closely and it is understandable.
Free speech without deleting comments is what democrats and freedom loving Americans are for and it is understandable that mistakes can be made in the best interest of freedom loving peoples all over the world who are looking to Open Congress and democrats to show us by example how to humbly become liberated by democracy.
This humble comment is made by a foreigner who may appear informal is trying to understand grand democracy and if it is edited and deleted I am sure the freedom loving Americans who run democracy have very good reasons. Congress is very important beyond the Presidency and we have learned much by example of their greatness legislations to help freedom loving Americans and humble countries learning from their democrats, Americans and Open Congress.
This meek and modest foreigner, although low in rank quality and station, submits this comment to learn from the magnificent freedom loving Americans, democrats and Open Congress. Accept it for what it is and just a deferential and submissive foreigner learning from dignified and noble America.
This just go's to show how stupid we all are if this is allowed. The more we allow the Government to do the less rights we posses. THIS BILL IS VERY SCARY and could kill our economy and our country. We cannot allow this bill to be passed.
Filtered Comment [show]
It's interesting to see all you right-wing nuts just repeating what Fox news tells you. Have you ever thought to yourself, "gee, if global warming is really not such a big deal, why is the media working so hard to convince me of that?" Ask yourself some questions: Could it be that there is money involved? Could it be that if we change energy sources a few very rich, very powerful corporations would crumble to the ground? Could it be those very corporations control the media? Let me break it down for you: Yes, yes, and yes. The plain truth is that a massive American investment in cleaner energy sources (wind, solar, nuclear) would do many good things for the economy: Stimulate new jobs in engineering and encourage innovation and technology investment, improve the quality of our air and water, protect the wild places that are our American heritage (such as ANWAR) as well as pull money out of the hands of tyrants such as Iran and Saudi Arabia. In case you were asleep the last four years, both of those countries have us on a short leash (oil). Bush had to practically beg the Saudi king to produce more oil for us. Didn't work, either. WE MUST CHANGE ENERGY SOURCES NOW! No dicking around in Alaska, no invading other countries, no flushing billions of dollars down the toilet, no sacrificing our young people in backwards Middleastern countries, no partisan bickering: We can all come together and make alternative energy the defining cause of our generation. We can once again become the world leader we once were, not the addict we currently are. Face the truth people: We need to change. Whether you believe in global warming or not, that's the plain truth.
To notesjones...
You've got one very big problem there, the media is trying to convince us global warming is real. So if you re-phrase your question, with your same points the answers would be "yes, no and yes"
The problem is, you need to ask yourself why hyper-industrialists like Rockefeller, B.P, Shell, Exxon, Ford, Dupont, Dow, Monsanto, American paper and every bank you can imagine gives millions to enviornmental groups (NGO) in order to lobby for these laws?
Why did B.P and Enron support Kyoto first?
Why did the Rockefeller family remove the head of Exxon for not going along with global warming initiatives?
THEY ARE WRITING THE LAWS!!
They have control of the next generation of energy solutions and they know with government imposed taxation on carbon, they stand to make alot of money not only through carbon trading firms but through new technology that will eventually be released at the crescendo of public support. Just look into the membership list of Al Gore's Generation Investment Management and the related Chicago Climate Exchange. That is who will benefit from environmental legislation. Why do you think these giant corporations are supporting carbon credit trading and cap and trade when they are the biggest offenders?
THEY RUN IT! THEY WRITE THEMSELVES IMMUNITY BECAUSE THEY FUND THE NGO's THAT LOBBY FOR THE LEGISLATION AND RUN THE MECHANISMS OF ENFORCEMENT (aka taxation and trading through these various firms)
This is not a partisan talking point. There are thousands of scientist that do not support the corrupted, corporate IPCC (some members who actually run "carbon advisory firms"..no conflict of interest there) and there is no consensus on man-made global warming. And the hypocrites like Al Gore, Maurice Strong and David Suzuki are the last people to listen to when they say we need to curb our "carbon footprint". (Which itself is a total abstraction willed into reality through brainless repetition.)
Air Force Geo spacial Intelligence Agency.
I really don't pretend to understand what the fall out would be if this bill becomes law. I do know that proposals for more government involvment should be judged stringently. If the idea is to promote development of alternative sources of energy, then I suspect it can be done through private enterprise and not through government regulation.
Factually speaking, global warming is happening. I personally subscribe to the viewpoint that human actions are a causal factor. I'll go as far as to say CO2 is a major portion of that human causal factor. Thus, I am in favor of reducing our CO2 output.
That said, this bill is a mistake. Instead of using existing market economics and governmental regulations to address the issue, it creates a new "market" from nothing. Worse, it creates a negative market by taking, without due cause or due process, an existing commodity on which the global economy is founded and suddenly nationalizes it. Image the government suddenly deciding to nationalize all our businesses - this bill may not go to that extreme, but it makes a bigger step towards it than ever before in the history of the US.
Next, the government - not you, not the market - gets to decide who has to play in the new game, how much it'll cost, and who will benefit. Do you have enough confidence in our Congress (which has a 19% approval rating, even lower than Bush) to make such a monumental change in your life? Remember, the cost for this is projected at $1,700,000,000,000 (yes, $1.7 Trillion) over the first 7 years. That's about $4600 for every man, woman, and child in the US (About $17,000 for every household). Can you afford that? I can't. If this bill passes, I have no choice but to pay up. At least when the price of gas goes up, I can drive less.
Worse, the bill goes on to create an elaborate transfer of payments to "help" those hurt by the bill, or just favored by Congress (can you say special interests?). For those of you who like the help part, consider this - while it'll cost the average household $2700 per year, the assistance will be about $800 a year, IF you qualify. And this transfer of payments won't be simple. Do you like our tax code? Do you think it's too complicated? Well, guess what, this bill is creating another monster just like it.
This bill might get the job done. BUT, it will do it like our government does most things - slowly, inefficiently, and poorly. Think taxes, think public schools, think medicare. This bill will give us another large does of that.
No matter how we tackle global warming, it will be painful. As an example, the 25% run up in gas prices this year has cut driving by 3%. Run it up another 25%, we might cut 6%. By $6/gal, I'd be riding my bike to work. That'd cut my carbon footprint by a third.
If we want to tackle CO2 emissions, do it at the source - a large, global increase in the costs of fossil fuels. This can happen by market forces (long time to happen), overt government intervention in the supply (through taxes or OPEC like production limits), or covert government intervention like this bill.
I don't think the market will get us there fast enough. I favor supply management by governments, but doubt anyone will put up with $100+ per barrel taxes or OPEC cutting their output in half. It's a tough situation that requires tough decisions. Unfortunately, instead we get bills like this that promise big change with no pain.
Cheers,
Steve
Dions done.
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