The Reid Energy Bill: Another Government Land Grab

The Heritage Foundation ^ | 7/31/2010 | Rob Gordon

[Outside da Box]

The all-too-familiar idea “a crisis is a terrible thing to waste” has reared its head in Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D–NV) Clean Energy Jobs and Oil Company Accountability Act of 2010. In addition to proposing hurdles high enough to trip efforts to develop energy resources in the Gulf of Mexico, the proposal would gift to the greens one of their long sought desires: a full pot of money in the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LCWF). It would be a big pot of cash that can be spent “without further appropriation” to, among other things, gobble up more private property.

[Psycho_Bunny]

” Clean Energy Jobs and Oil Company Accountability Act of 2010”

I swear. The titles these retards come up with...

[socialism_stinX]

What a mess this is turning into. The stupid lib scientists have Obama convinced that we’re on the brink of a “climate crisis” and we’ve got to “go green” right now to save the world. We need some smart, responsible scientists and media people to step up and act like adults and demolish the ridiculous climate forecasts by NASA and the UN—demolish their screwed-up climate models with rigorous brilliant scientific research and experimentation.

[TheRevolution1776]

the war is coming......

[Pontiac]

” Clean Energy Jobs and Oil Company Accountability Act of 2010”

Clean Energy = big tax increase + ridiculously huge energy price increases.

Oil Company Accountability = New very restrictive regulations on oil companies + new taxes, fines and fees + impediments to new oil exploration that so restrictive that no new wells will be sunk in the United States until this act is repealed.

[Pontiac]

Still, according to CRS, between 1965 and 2002, $8.7 billon in LCWF funds enabled the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, and Bureau of Land Management to acquire about 4.5 million acres, an area slightly smaller than New Jersey. In the same period, CRS found that the LCWF also funded 37,000 state and local projects totaling approximately $3.5 billion to conserve another 2.3 million acres.

And yet the National Parks Service has a difficult time budgeting enough funds to maintain the existing National Park.

Boy Scouts and other volunteer organizations do much of the maintenance on hiking trails in the parks.

[Pontiac]

Reid’s bill would fill the fund with a minimum of just under $5 billion through fiscal year 2016. Spending these funds would no longer require congressional approval. Between fiscal year (FY) 2017 and FY 2020, all LWCF funding—without fiscal year limitation—would be subject to appropriations. For FY 2021 and beyond, the LWCF pot would be filled with a minimum of a half billon annually and, again, evade congressional approval.

I love it when these would be dictators just decide to ignore the Constitution they swore an oath to protect.

Section 9 - Limits on Congress

No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law; and a regular Statement and Account of the Receipts and Expenditures of all public Money shall be published from time to time.

Regardless one congress can not bind succeeding congresses. But this pocket dictator knows that later congresses will not likely have the courage to undo his generosity to these enviro-socialists.

[Pontiac]

Another well ignored bit of the Constitution is:

Section 9 - Limits on Congress

To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States, and to exercise like Authority over all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards, and other needful Buildings;

I just wonder how much of this newly purchased park land was purchased after receiving the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be.

[epithermal]

I suspect most of the land the Feds want is in the west where we already have way too many restrictions on it. As a westerner, I suggest that all eastern envirowackos learn that we in the west make our living off the land, not handouts from the government. In the thousands of hours I have spent in the National Forests in the west, I very seldom ever see any recreational users.