Results tagged “cap and trade”

In this episode, I interview Bob Stallman, president of the American Farm Bureau, on the potential impact of climate change legislation on agriculture.

On Tuesday, yet another voice spoke out against the proposed climate legislation under consideration in Congress. This time it was Margo Thorning, senior vice president and chief economist at the American Council for Capital Formation (ACCF), speaking before the Senate Finance Committee.

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee today voted to send the Kerry-Boxer climate bill to the Senate floor without amendments. Only Democrats were in attendance for the vote, and Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mt.) voted against the bill, saying he would withhold his support contingent on the adoption of some pro-agriculture amendments.

A recent poll shows that the more Americans learn about climate legislation, the less they like it. Especially when they realize that it will take money out of their pockets.

How much money? About $2,300 per year per average U.S. household, according to the American Farm Bureau. That's nearly $200 a month.

In this episode, I interview Alan Gelder of Wood Mackenzie, who recently conducted a study on the potential impact of climate change legislation on refiners.

The ongoing debate over the Kerry-Boxer climate bill has tended to focus primarily on two issues: the bill's potential costs and its proposed environmental benefits. But there are at least two other critically important items that have not been addressed adequately by the bill's sponsors. Both were mentioned briefly at yesterday's hearing before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing.

One of America's largest refiners told a Senate panel yesterday that climate legislation could force his company to shutter some U.S. refineries. Bill Kleese, president and CEO of Valero Energy Corp. (not a member of API) made his comments during the second day of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearings on the Kerry-Boxer bill which proposes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent in 2020. The Kerry-Boxer bill would likely reduce U.S. refining jobs because refiners would be forced to pay billions of dollars for carbon credits.

This week, the National Journal's Energy & Environment Blog posed several questions about the Kerry-Boxer climate bill. Among them, "What's your take on the chairman's mark and EPA's analysis?" The blog also invited a number of individuals, including API's Jack Gerard, to discuss the bill's strong points, weak points and provide an overall perspective on the legislation.

In the first of a series of Senate hearings about the Kerry-Boxer climate bill today, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mt.) said he has "serious reservations" about the bill's "overall direction."

Speaking at today's Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing, Baucus encouraged Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) to compromise with Republican members of the committee, who have expressed strong opposition to the bill. As Politico reported today, Republicans "see the legislation...as a nonstarter."

Friday night, Sen. Barbara Boxer issued an updated version of the Kerry-Boxer climate bill, and the more we learn about this bill, the more it resembles Waxman-Markey--only worse.

More voices are speaking out against the climate legislation being considered on Capitol Hill. Here's a sampling of some of the statements and studies that have been in the news during the past couple of days.

House and Senate leaders are continuing to push for climate legislation despite the fact that far fewer people believe that global warming is a serious problem, according to a new survey released today by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. The survey, conducted among 1,500 adults from Sept. 30-Oct. 4, shows that 35 percent of respondents believe global warming is very serious as compared with 44 percent in April 2008.

Today, inspired by a New York Times weekend editorial, Energy Outlook blogger Geoff Styles discusses the Waxman-Markey climate bill and the legislation's potential impact on gasoline prices.

Today, inspired by a New York Times weekend editorial, Energy Outlook blogger Geoff Styles discusses the Waxman-Markey climate bill and the legislation's potential impact on gasoline prices.

We all know what Astroturf is on the gridiron, but what does it mean when it's applied to a series of very successful Energy Citizens rallies?

Based on what I've seen at six of the rallies, it is a misapplied term that demeans the spirit and the passion of the people who participated. Simply put, it disses them. And those who disrespect them apparently don't understand the depth of their feelings about the misguided Waxman-Markey bill.

We all know what Astroturf is on the gridiron, but what does it mean when it's applied to a series of very successful Energy Citizens rallies?

Based on what I've seen at six of the rallies, it is a misapplied term that demeans the spirit and the passion of the people who participated. Simply put, it disses them. And those who disrespect them apparently don't understand the depth of their feelings about the misguided Waxman-Markey bill.

Three more Energy Citizens rallies were held on Thursday, Sept. 3. About 200 people attended the rally in Richmond, Virginia; 300 participated in the rally in Chester, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia; and 750 showed up in Detroit, Michigan, which was far more than anticipated.

At each rally, the concerns voiced by the audience were the same. They said they want affordable energy and jobs, and they are encouraging the U.S. Senate to carefully consider the economic impact of the Waxman-Markey bill, which was passed by the House of Representatives in late June. As one speaker in Richmond said, the Senate should get it right.

Three more Energy Citizens rallies were held on Thursday, Sept. 3. About 200 people attended the rally in Richmond, Virginia; 300 participated in the rally in Chester, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia; and 750 showed up in Detroit, Michigan, which was far more than anticipated.

At each rally, the concerns voiced by the audience were the same. They said they want affordable energy and jobs, and they are encouraging the U.S. Senate to carefully consider the economic impact of the Waxman-Markey bill, which was passed by the House of Representatives in late June. As one speaker in Richmond said, the Senate should get it right.

For those of you who couldn't attend yesterday's Energy Citizens rally in Houston, we've posted a video about the event. As you'll see, the crowd donned the yellow T-shirts passed out at the door, waved signs and listened intently to the speakers.