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How to (Maybe) Make Money Out of Thin Air
Barron's ^ | January 19, 2009 | David Schutt

Posted on 01/17/2009 4:40:30 AM PST by reaganaut1

...

At least three regional U.S. [cap-and-trade] groups are in various stages of development: Reggie, the Western Climate Initiative and the Midwestern Greenhouse Gas Reduction Accord (the latter two won't be operational till 2012). A mandatory cap-and-trade program is in its fourth year in Europe. Trading volume there doubled last year, and prices have fluctuated, hitting $43 a ton at one point before sliding to $13 recently.

How would a federal program work?

A regulator, possibly the EPA, would set an overall emissions goal. Obama has said he'd like to see emissions at 1990 levels (about 15% below current levels) by 2020 and then, by 2050, fall to 80% below the 1990 levels. Unlike Reggie, the federal program would target many industries -- not just utilities.

A company that exceeds its cap would have to buy an allowance from a company that is under its carbon cap. That would set a price for carbon and provide an inducement to cut emissions. Companies might also get credit via "offsets" -- planting trees, using new carbon-storage facilities, or installing technology to capture carbon. A company's carbon "footprint" increasingly will become a risk factor that analysts and portfolio managers must assess when researching stocks or bonds.

Although much of the buying and selling will come from heavy carbon producers, the CCX and the CME Group's Green Exchange have created carbon-price contracts that anyone with a standard futures account can trade. Some potential plays involve the big spread between the $13-a-ton price in Europe and the $3.50 in the U.S. If America adopts a mandatory program, that spread should narrow. There also have been individual bidders in the Reggie auctions who hope to profit as carbon's price climbs.

(Excerpt) Read more at online.barrons.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy
KEYWORDS: capandtrade; globalwarming; mccainlieberman
Consumers and businesses will pay a lot under cap-and-trade, but some emissions traders and exchanges will get rich and make political contributions to the right people.
1 posted on 01/17/2009 4:40:30 AM PST by reaganaut1
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To: reaganaut1
some emissions traders and exchanges will get rich and make political contributions to the right people.

Not necessarily in that order.

2 posted on 01/17/2009 4:46:05 AM PST by Izzy Dunne (Hello, I'm a TAGLINE virus. Please help me spread by copying me into YOUR tag line.)
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To: reaganaut1

Completely unethical in my opinion.


3 posted on 01/17/2009 4:46:44 AM PST by cripplecreek (The poor bastards have us surrounded.)
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To: reaganaut1

Bingo, son: You have hit on the object of the whole scheme (scam). This isnt about Global Warming or emissions.

It’s a government sponsored scam to steal money
and sell NOTHING.

There is no product here they are selling something that does not exist and in the end the citizens are the ones who pay. The whole thing is insane, and we just elected a man who is four/square behind this theft.


4 posted on 01/17/2009 4:49:25 AM PST by Venturer
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To: Venturer
There is no product here they are selling something that does not exist

who dreamed it up, Madoff?

5 posted on 01/17/2009 4:53:14 AM PST by gusopol3
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To: reaganaut1

Must be really discouraging for an aspiring looter when the loot pile is shrinking so fast.


6 posted on 01/17/2009 4:53:55 AM PST by Nateman (If liberals aren't screaming you're doing it wrong.)
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To: Venturer

It’s a TAX...period!! The overall emissions will remain the same.


7 posted on 01/17/2009 5:08:20 AM PST by Sacajaweau (I'm planting corn...Have to feed my car...)
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To: reaganaut1
This is about big government telling business (and eventually everyone) how to live and do business.

It's about bigger government, nore expensive government, more controlling government, more intrusive government, and more world government. PERIOD.

8 posted on 01/17/2009 5:39:03 AM PST by stockstrader
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To: reaganaut1; TenthAmendmentChampion; Horusra; CygnusXI; Entrepreneur; Defendingliberty; WL-law; ...
 




Beam me to Planet Gore !

So Paulsen helped co-found the carbon scam Generation Investment Management with Al Gore, eh?

9 posted on 01/17/2009 5:55:26 AM PST by steelyourfaith
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To: MaggieCarta; indylindy; roamer_1; calcowgirl; djsherin; Sunnyflorida; SoConPubbie; Sybeck1; ...

Look for new proposals to emerge in the House (from Henry Waxman, Edward Markey and Nancy Pelosi) and the Senate (possibly from Barbara Boxer, John McCain and Joseph Lieberman).

McCain cap-and-trade alert!

The Juan McCain Truth File.

"I have great respect for Al Gore."
—John McCain, October 2, 2008

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10 posted on 01/17/2009 10:14:34 AM PST by rabscuttle385 ("If this be treason, then make the most of it!" —Patrick Henry)
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