Earth Day used to produce useful ideas and ways that people could help protect and preserve the environment. Now, it’s all political. Today, for example, and for the remainder of the week, the House Energy and Commerce Committee will hold hearings on a bill that would impose a massive energy tax on all U.S. consumers.
Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.), Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, and Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) of the Energy and Environment Subcommittee and Select Committee on Global Warming, recently released the draft bill “The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009.” The legislation is the subject of their week-long hearing and includes, among other initiatives, a cap-and-trade program. In essence, this so-called “market-based” program would ration the amount of energy that consumers and businesses can use and make them compete for this set amount (by bidding on carbon credits) in the open “marketplace.” In reality, what we are really talking about is a cap-and-trade tax as almost every study has shown such a program would vastly raise energy prices. A conservative estimate is $2,000 more in energy costs on an annual basis per U.S. household.
Another part of the bill would allow citizens to sue the federal government or private businesses if they were found to be “victims” of global warming. So, I guess if you own beachfront property and you believe that global warming is causing the oceans to rise (or, say, more aggressive hurricanes) you might have another deep pocket to tap into if your home is leveled. Come to think about it, since global warming is now the cause of many of our woes, it seems to reason that all of us could have some grounds for a lawsuit.
So this is what Earth Day has become. A platform for politicians to restrict our freedoms, raise our taxes and proclaim that we can all be victims. Happy Earth Day!
Karen Kerrigan, President & CEO
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