Climate-change legislation has now officially become part of Washington policymaking with the approval on May 21 by the House Energy and Commerce Committee of a new bill designed to curb “greenhouse gas emissions” by imposing a cap-and-trade system on American  industry. The significance of this quiet legislative event was not lost on those who brought it about. “I don't think it's too much of an exaggeration to say that this is a turning point, in the history of the United States and [its] energy sources,” Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), one of the bill's sponsors, said afterwards. “This is a day we've waited a long time on.”

Such a system would require all polluters to purchase allowances for emissions, with the government fixing a ceiling on the total amount of emissions allowed nationally and power plants, refineries, and manufacturers buying and selling allowances to meet their emissions needs. The bill calls for a 17 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, and 83 percent by 2050 (why these precise outcomes are desirable is unclear). The bill will also contain strong disincentives for using fossil fuels, and will reward allegedly cleaner sources of energy like wind and solar power.

Though this or any other such bill will have many legislative hurdles to surmount before becoming the law of the land, the sentiment in Washington is clear: the Federal Government, having refused to ratify the UN’s Kyoto Protocol mandating global emission standards, must now “do something” about fictive global warming by straitjacketing US industrial productivity. All this despite the total absence of clear evidence linking climate change with human activity; so pervasive has the global warming orthodoxy become that leaders of both parties are promoting cap-and-trade to fix a nonexistent problem. Both John McCain and Barack Obama included a cap-and-trade program as part of their presidential platforms, and President Obama has signaled his warm approval of the legislative process now underway.

Even though climate change has been occurring throughout recorded geologic history, the global warming banshees have managed to whip up an international frenzy over the current very mild warming episode. If there is anything unprecedented about present-day climate change, it is the delusional hysteria that has allowed lawmakers the world over — including now our own, alas — to be stampeded into passing legislation that will suffocate modern industrial output in the name of keeping the planet safe for polar bears and ribbon seals.

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cindy said:

Cap and Trade Passes House Subcommittee Cap and Trade, voila! we now have a compliant Congress shoving another "brilliant" plan down our throats. It sounds good. I mean we're all for clean air, cleaner fossil fuels but this legislation is aiming in the wrong direction. Instead of focusing on "drill here, drill now," building nuclear power plants and mining for coal (which we have a vast reserve of) we're pandering to the global warming hysteria enthusiasts. This will be another serious mistake by an administration bent on seriously wounding the private sector and free enterprise in favor of legislation that will produce very little in job growth. And the energy companies will slow their production while passing any taxes on down the line. Thanks Mr. Obama and Congress. I have a question, will we even have a country left after these "know-it-alls" are through with their grandiose plans for "redefining" America?

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May 23, 2009 | url
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rawdibob said:

	I Wonder How much new revenue the federal government will derive from Cap and Trade. How much the cost of heating my home will increase? How much the price of gasoline, diesel and home heating oil will increase?
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May 23, 2009
Votes: +2

Flu-Bird said:

	Treason is green Looks like the demacrooked CONgree and imperial senate are all willing to reduce america to a miserble third world exenence to appease the eco-freak nazis and the sinister AL GORE over this CRAP FOR TRADE bunk of the green loby and a bunch of left-wing journalists and politcal hacks, when soon can see secseede from the DISCTRICT of CRINIMALS?
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May 23, 2009
Votes: +3

Anti Liberal said:

An expensive and devastating solution to a non-problem! Next they'll want to tax us for breathing! Here's an excerpt from conversation at the Deniers Last Stand on Discover Magazine: “ 1. The anthropogenic emissions and global temperature do not correlate. 2. Change to atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration follows change to global temperature at all time scales. 3. Recent rise in global temperature has not been induced by rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations. Global temperature fell slightly from 1940 to 1970, rose to 1998, and has fallen since. That’s 40 years of cooling and 28 years of warming. Global temperature is now similar to that of 1990. But atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration has increased at a near constant rate and by more than 30% since 1940. It has increased by 8% since 1990. 4. Rise in global temperature has not been induced by anthropogenic emissions of carbon dioxide. Over 80% of the anthropogenic emissions have been since 1940 and the emissions have been increasing at a compound rate. But since 1940 there have been 40 years of cooling with only 28 years of warming. There’s been no statistically significant warming since 1995, and global temperature has fallen since the high it had 10 years ago. 5. The pattern of atmospheric warming predicted by the AGW hypothesis is absent. The AGW hypothesis predicts most warming of the air at altitude in the tropics (other causes of warming would provide different patterns of warming in the atmosphere: see pages 5 to 7 of the item at http://climaterealists.com/att...mments.pdf). Measurements from weather balloons and from satellites both show cooling at altitude in the tropics. So, the normal rules of science say the AGW-hypothesis is completely refuted. Nothing the hypothesis predicts is observed, and the opposite of some of its predictions are observed. But proclamation of the AGW hypothesis as fact does provide an excuse for taxation such as ‘Cap & Trade’."

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May 25, 2009
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AntonioSosa said:

More fraudulent than any Nigerian scam No patriotic and informed American can support the global warming/cap and trade scam, more fraudulent than any Nigerian scam. Cap and trade represents huge taxes and cost increases, which will hurt mostly the poor and the middle class. Cap and trade will give dictatorial powers to Obama and will further enrich his billionaire friends (Gore, Soros, Goldman Sachs, Obama’s Chicago Climate Exchange friends, GE, etc.) -- all at our expense and at the expense of our children and grandchildren. Cap and Trade “would be the equivalent of an atomic bomb directed at the U.S. economy—all without any scientific justification,” said famed climatologist Dr. S. Fred Singer. It would significantly increase taxes and the cost of energy, forcing many companies to close, thus increasing unemployment, poverty and dependence. Those brainwashed to the point of wanting to destroy the economy to "prevent global warming" are behaving like the most primitive human beings who were duped into believing that human sacrifices would ensure them good weather. Human beings don't have the power to control climate! And killing the economy will not help the environment. Poor countries can’t protect the environment. Just look at Haiti! More and more scientists and thinking people all over the world are realizing that man-made global warming is a hoax that threatens our future and the future of our children. More than 700 international scientists dissent over man-made global warming claims. They are now more than 13 times the number of UN scientists (52) who authored the media-hyped IPCC 2007 Summary for Policymakers. http://www.climatechangefraud..../3562/218/ We pray that honest leaders – both Democrat and Republican - are able to save us from Obama's criminal global warming/cap-and-trade scam.

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May 26, 2009 | url
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Flu-Bird said:

	Hot air The biggist amount of HOT AIR round comes fro, AL GORE and the jerks from the various ecofreak groups like GREENPEACE and ENVIROMENTAL DEFENSE
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May 27, 2009
Votes: +2

Don Cordell said:

... This is the continuing attempt to turn off the United States. We have surrendered, or rather our elected officials have surrendered our nation, to join the continuation of the European Union, the New World Order. We have elected attorneys who have no scientific education, they only understand raising money to get re-elected. If Americans don't turn off the Ball Game and join as Patriots to save this nation, we will surrender to Totalitarian control under President Obama. IF you had elected, and you still can if you recall Obama for malfeasience in office, and elect "Don Cordell" for President, I'll close our borders from cheap imports, and put Americans back to work to make the Cars we want to buy. I will provide the gas we need to drive those cars, I will restore all the manufacturing in our nation, and protect us from illegal invaders, remove gangs from our cities, and RESTORE America, not CHANGE America.

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May 29, 2009 | url
Votes: +2