With bowels being blown and predictions of the US economy swirling down a boiling pit of sewage due to the president's new carbon emissions regulations, the right has completely failed to note the following: the 30 percent reduction the president is calling for has already been achieved in some parts of the country. And guess what?
No boiling pit of sewage.
Take a look at this recent piece from the New York Times and the Georgetown Climate Center.
At least 10 states cut their emissions by that amount or more between 2005 and 2012, and several other states were well on their way, almost two decades before Mr. Obama’s clock for the nation runs out.
That does not mean these states are off the hook under the Obama plan unveiled this week — they will probably be expected to cut more to help achieve the overall national goal — but their strides so far have not brought economic ruin. In New England, a region that has made some of the biggest cuts in emissions, residential electricity bills fell 7 percent from 2005 to 2012, adjusted for inflation. And economic growth in the region ran slightly ahead of the national average.
Once again, Republicans are essentially lying about the detrimental effects of these new regulations. They are also continuing to lie about cap and trade.
Through a program called cap and trade, the Northeastern states also impose a small price on emissions of carbon dioxide from power generation, and plow the proceeds back into energy-efficiency programs, such as retrofitting homes and businesses, lowering electricity bills. And the states have encouraged the growth of emissions-free renewable power and more judicious use of energy.
David W. Cash, the Massachusetts commissioner of environmental protection, said he saw a direct link between the state’s above-average economic performance in recent years and lower energy bills for businesses and consumers.
“Every dollar they’re not spending on coal that comes from Colombia or natural gas that comes from Pennsylvania is a dollar that stays here in Massachusetts,” Mr. Cash said.
So, there goes another bullshit myth.
When will the rest of the United States stop listening to these bozos?
4 comments:
The worst "recovery" in a half century and these regulations are having absolutely no economic effect.
There is really no end to how pathetic you can be defending the Obamessiah, is there?
The carbon dioxide regulations are nothing new. It's a pollutant that has environmental effects, and we should deal with it like we have with many other pollutants.
In the 1980s it was obvious that acid rain was a problem. Regulations similar to what the administration is proposing were instituted to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions from coal plants. The cap and trade program for acid rain is a market-based regulatory program that has been successful. The economy was not destroyed.
Similarly, CFCs used as aerosol propellants and refrigerants were found to be punching a hole in the ozone layer, so regulations were put in place and emissions were reduced (CFCs also happen to be very powerful greenhouse gases). The economy was not destroyed.
Many other pollutants have been regulated out of existence, including PCBs and DDT. We found replacements for these coolants and pesticides, and we somehow still put transformers on power poles and kill bugs in fields.
We are already in the process of closing down coal-fired power plants without government intervention because it's cheaper to generate power with natural gas. Digging coal out of the ground is dirty and dangerous, and with open-pit mining and mountaintop decapitation is extremely destructive to the environment, including those fabulous trout streams and forests where gun lovers love to fish and hunt.
Conservatives keep talking about how smart and innovative private industry is. They keep telling us that we don't have to worry about what will happen when we run out of coal and gas, our brilliant entrepreneurs will figure something out.
What not figure that out now, rather than later when resources are in short supply? Do we really want to fight a war with Russia in 20 years over fossil fuel deposits in the arctic? Why don't conservatives want to plan ahead?
Now is the time to start making the switch to renewable energy sources. If Americans invent cheap new sources of energy we'll make a killing on the world market.
Besides, the less oil and gas we burn, the more we'll have later on when the rest of the world has run out. Let Saudi Arabia and Russia use up all their energy resources propping up their lousy economies.
Why don't conservatives want to plan ahead?
Because they are adolescent morons
Good article as usual from Samuelson.
President Obama and his harshest critics — business groups and Republicans — have a shared interest in exaggerating the impact of the president’s proposal on climate change.
The best approach is to tax carbon emissions. If you want less of something, tax it. Stimulate competition to find ways to conserve energy or produce it without greenhouse gases. An energy tax would also help close U.S. budget deficits. But there’s little public taste for this. Indeed, support for any anti-global warming legislation is weak. In 2009, when Democrats controlled the House and Senate, they could not pass a bill.
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