Posted on 06/23/2009 2:43:56 PM PDT by flattorney
Is an imperfect climate bill (Waxman-Markey) better than no bill at all? Al Gore says yes.
To bring environment supporters together, Gore will host a nationwide conference call on June 23 at 8 p.m. ET. The purpose, according to his Repower America e-mail sent to a selected audience, is “to build urgency around this bill and make sure it passes. We have to go to the grassroots – we have to continue building support in communities across the nation.”
“As this climate legislation moves before the full Congress this summer, we have an opportunity unlike anything we’ve seen yet,” the e-mail concludes.
Gore has his work cut out for him. A significant number of congressional Democrats oppose the bill and green groups are divided on it. Republicans roundly reject the bill, with arguments predictably running along the lines of “If there isn’t a problem (global warming), why fix it?” and "the bill could hurt the economy."
It’s disappointing that this extraordinary piece of legislation could fall by the wayside. And because some Democrats and green groups such as Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth, the very groups expected to support it, are finding reasons to oppose it.
The major sticking point is the cap-and-trade policy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This policy requires big emitters such as automobile manufacturers and power plants to cut their greenhouse gas emissions by a certain amount, gradually falling over time. Companies that make deeper cuts than what is required get a credit that can be traded or sold to other emitters that fail to meet the targets. Cap-and-trade was used with the 1990 Clean Air Act amendments to cut emissions that cause acid rain and was considered a success.
Those who oppose cap-and-trade often prefer a carbon tax, not a popular solution these days and not necessarily more effective, economist Paul Krugman wrote in his May 18 New York Times column.
“Even when polluters get free permits, they still have an incentive to reduce their emissions so that they can sell their excess permits,” wrote Krugman, who agrees with Gore that this bill is vastly better than no bill because it represents a major action to limit climate change.
How much longer can we wait?
For more information on the American Clean Energy & Security Act (Waxman-Markey), see following:
Video: All-out blitz to support Waxman-Markey Bill
- - TV ad began airing Sunday on both cable and broadcast television in the Washington D.C. market and will continue to run through June 25. The groups, which collectively have spent about $5 million to support a clean energy jobs plan through various types of media, include The Sierra Club, VoteVets.org, the League of Conservation Voters, America's Building Trades Unions, the Blue Green Alliance, the National Wildlife Federation Action Fund, and the Service Employees International Union. (Collectively called eco-communists ~ fla)
Globull Warming movies, concerts, websites, and misinformation sponsored by the Soros Shadow Party,
ultra liberal liars, frauds, & corporate money grab mouthpieces ~ FlA
TAB
Waxman is melting!
“It’s disappointing that this extraordinary piece of legislation could fall by the wayside.”
No it ain’t.
Oh damn..
Does that mean when I get up at 1 in the morning to go to work,there’s going to be snow on the ground?
Darn.....
PS Someone tell Charlie there's no "H" in Crist.
This “selected audience” numbers in the millions. Al Gore has been building a grassroots army of activists for the last eight years. He has also bankrolled, fund-raised, and campaigned for hundreds of state and federal elected officials. Gore is the front man for “green” technology and a global, carbon credit trading system. This is a link to his multi-billion-dollar investment fund:
Uh-oh, Al.
Looks like your personal billion-dollar profit projections may fall a bit short.
Flim-flam Man Flummoxed
To the contrary, Jo Ann, this is outstandingly great news. Let us hope it will fall hard and then not be able to get back up.
FP&L requested a 30% rate increase today.
Florida Power & Light wants to raise main customer rate by 30%
Jun 22, 2009-OS: Florida Power & Light Co., the state's largest electric utility serving more than half a million customers in Central Florida, wants to increase its main customer rate by 30 percent. The utility, which has 4.5 million customers statewide, says the increase would raise an additional $1.3 billion a year to cover the cost of making its older plants more efficient, its nuclear plants more durable and its entire system storm-ready. Fuel costs are covered by a separate charge and are not part of the rate request. The increase also would allow FPL to offer a 12.5 percent return to investors, according to its state petition.
Critics question whether it's fair to ask customers to pay higher bills at a time of record foreclosures and double-digit unemployment. "It's bad timing," said South Daytona City Manager Joe Yarbrough. "I can't fathom how they can do it right now, how they can justify it." FPL proposes increasing its "base rate" in stages in 2010 and 2011. For a typical customer, the base rate -- just one component of electric bills -- is now $42 and would increase to $54.55. The increase in the base rate could be offset by an expected drop in the fuel charge in 2010. FPL has 168,000 customers in Volusia County, 286,000 in Brevard and 50,000 in Seminole.
The state's Public Service Commission will consider the rate request in August and is having several public hearings, including one at 4 p.m. Tuesday at Daytona Beach City Hall, 301 S. Ridgewood Ave., and another at 9 a.m. Wednesday at the Brevard County government center, 2725 Judge Fran Jamieson Way, Viera.
Within the past year, the PSC approved rate changes amounting to an increase of about 11 percent for Progress Energy Florida. It also approved a 13.7 percent increase for the Orlando Utilities Commission. A Florida Municipal Electric Association survey found that FPL customers pay the lowest rates among the state's major utilities. FPL spokeswoman Jackie Anderson said the proposal would attract investors and save money in the long run. "We're mindful of the difficult economic situation, but we also have the responsibility to make prudent long-term investments," she said.
However, the state Attorney General's Office, which represents consumers in utility cases, has called the proposed increase "extreme." Other groups expected to speak out against the proposal are the Florida Retail Federation and the AARP.
Thanks - TAB
However, I do have a problem with it when they want to raise rates to insulate themselves from the economy. In other words, they want their cake and eat it too.
They need to realize that they can't modernize, expand AND offer a 12.5% return (make note to self: check FP&L - buy ;-) when the rest of the world is crashing down around them.
Even worse, say they are approved for the 30% and then the communists in charge pass this cap and trade crap. Our bills could easily rise over 50% in the next few years.
They can...if they can get the state PUC to approve it.
One more reason why government should not be involved in utility pricing...or transmission...or distribution...or generation. Government doesn't know squat about any of these segments.
But, given the power to do so, they can be counted upon to screw it up. For sure. See California.
Example: Latest Data - Exxon Mobil Corp.
Return on Assets: 14.40%
Return on Equity: 33.79%
I have a good story on what these worthless bastard Big Oils did to Tom Delay after he held the House floor open 40 minutes (with the Democrats screaming bloody murder, particularly Pelosi) to get a new refineries incentive bill passes for them. With what the BO's pulled, Tom should have turned around and sponsored a windfall profit tax bill to shove it up their [beep].
06.23.09 comments on my FR "Straight Talk" page re the bogus Waxman-Markey Climate Bill
FlA Says: I'm all for more realistic fuel efficient vehicles and stopping the CAFE exemption on light trucks and SUVs. I'm also for putting a stop to Big Oils being allowed to earn a 30%+ return on equity and giving CEO's $100-400 million annual bonuses. Same, for allowing energy futures to be manipulated by George Soros and his Cartel. In short, there must be reasonable government controls and regulations over vital inelastic commodities. But, to quote Senator Jim "Mountain" Inhofe, this bill is a bunch of liberal crap. ~ FlA
Gore better hope this goes through, he has $200 Billion of his own money into it.
But i am sure he is doing it all for humanitarian reasons like he says ... YEAH RIGHT!
>>Florida Power & Light wants to raise main customer rate by 30%<<
Good thing that Obama is giving people $10 a week in their checks isn’t it! That should about cover it.
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