Snowe’s Green Energy Letter Nods Toward Cap and Trade
October 25, 2011 at 7:17 pm in Accountability by Steve Davies 7 Comments
By Norma Green
Senator Olympia Snowe’s (R-Maine) longstanding support for green energy opens up a raft of concern for those believing that government should not pick and choose winners.
Aroostook Tea Party Patriots leader Rick Anderson believes that revamping America’s energy policy would adversely affect the economy. Tea Party Patriots obtained a copy of a letter responding to Anderson’s concerns over the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, H.R. 2454.
Snowe, in a letter dated September 21, 2009, summarized the bill. “Specifically, the bill would develop a cap and trade system beginning in 2009, which would gradually reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions to a level roughly 80 percent of current levels by 2050. In addition, the American Clean Energy and Security Act requires renewable energy production by mandating utilities to use it for 6 percent of their power generation by 2012 and 25 percent by 2025. Furthermore, this bill provides incentives for electric vehicles, and sets forth provisions concerning the development of a ‘smart grid’ which is designed to deliver electricity from suppliers to consumers using digital technology to save energy, reduce cost and increase reliability and transparency. H.R. 2454 would also lay out new energy-saving standards for buildings, appliances, and industry.”
Continuing the nod toward legislation, Snowe said, “Specifically, I noted your concern that H.R. 2454, as passed by the House of Representatives, will have a harmful economic impact on the nation. Please know that, like you, I am very much aware of the economic crisis that our country is facing, and believe that Congress has a responsibility to ensure that any legislative proposals are fully and carefully developed with America’s economic well-being as a top priority. For example, a carefully constructed energy bill could potentially promote the renewable and energy efficiency industries and serve as a catalyst for these industries, as well as provide our manufacturing and industrial sectors with the ability to plan for long term viability and prosperity.”
Snowe listed Caterpillar, John Deere, Ford Motor Company, General Electric, and Duke Energy as companies expressing frustration over long-term decision making within the atmosphere of uncertainty. The solution, Snowe says, is in developing a clear roadmap for companies and providing additional incentives to develop the technologies that mitigate climate change and enhance energy security.
Detailing benefits to the local community, Snowe wrote, “Maine is ideally positioned to take advantage of additional renewable energy and energy efficient industry growth. Maine has currently the largest production of wind energy in New England, and also has the greatest potential for continued growth. This amount of wind power could provide as much as $5 billion dollars in economic investment in Maine, creating several thousand construction jobs, and over 1,000 long-term jobs.”
H.R. 2454 was introduced by Representative Henry Waxman on May 15, 2009 and passed the House of Representatives in June by a vote of 219 to 212. The bill was placed on the Senate calendar, but a vote did not occur in the 111th Congress, and, therefore, H.R. 2454 did not become law. Waxman is ranking member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.
Eight House Republicans voted for H.R. 2454: Mary Bono Mack (CA), Michael Castle (DE), Mark Kirk (IL), Leonard Lance (NJ), David Reichert (WA), Frank LoBiondo (NY), John M. McHugh (NY), and Chris Smith (NJ).
There were 211 Democrats who voted for the bill including Corrine Brown (FL), Earl Blumenauer (OR), Kathy Castor (FL), Alan Grayson (FL), Gene Green (TX), Chelie Pingree (ME), Michael Michaud (ME), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL), and Anthony Weiner (NY). Forty-four Democrats voted against the bill including Jason Altmire (PA), Jim Costa (CA), Peter DeFazio (OR), Dennis Kucinich (OH), Jim Matheson (UT), and Peter Visclosky (IN). Dennis Kucinich claimed the bill was too weak.
Letters in support of H.R. 2454 came from GE’s CEO, Jeffrey Immelt; International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace & Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW); BlueGreen Alliance, which includes the United Steelworkers, Sierra Club, Laborers’ International Union of North America, Andy Stern of Service Employees International Union, Natural Resources Defense Council and Communications Workers of America; Pew Center on Global Climate Change; Florida Board of Governors; the State University System of Florida; and National Grid.
According to OnTheIssues, Snowe voted “no” to defunding renewable and solar energy in June of 1999, voted against drilling in Alaska’s ANWR, and signed on to the UN Framework Convention on Climate change in January 2007.
Most Americans agree that the country should work toward a clean environment. But “clean” is a term used to argue for cumbersome legislation and government subsidies.
Moreover, the incentives obstruct the free market, as evidenced by recent headlines about failed green companies subsidized by government. The investigation of Solyndra and the Environmental Protection Agency’s Cross-State Air Pollution Rule have made some reconsider government intrusion in the free market.
Snowe’s office did not respond to a request for comment on this story.
Snowe can be contacted here by email or at her D.C. office: (202) 224-5344
Waxman can be contacted here by email or at his D.C. office: (202) 225-3976
Norma Green covers Senator Olympia Snowe for Tea Party Patriots’ Government Accountability Project. She can be reached at norma.green@tppjournalism.org.
Stop putting a boot to the neck of the private sector under the false pretences of Climate change
The use of free market economy, as used here in the comments, suggests that we indeed currently have a free market. We do not. When commenting that giving renewable energy government incentives, or subsidies, perverts the free market, the writers seem oblivious to the fact that every coal mine, every oil well and every natural gas well here in the U.S. has received government subsidies. The U.S. government has a long history of giving tax breaks to new technologies. It made great sense to give these to oil, coal and natural gas when they were immature industries, and that money can currently be put to better use on renewables, the new energy industries. And in 25-50 years, it will be time to remove those incentives as well.
Carbon Nation: Feel free to back your comment by naming specific government tax breaks and subsidies that every oil, coal and natural gas industry received. Also, feel free to examine the cost of regulation imposed and threat of future regulation on these industries and on American jobs.
Norma, I prefer to bring to the attention of the TPP, the upcoming second anniversary of the so called ‘hacked’ emails of Professor (Jones?) from East Anglia University in Great Britain. I actually think he leaked them out of guilt. The emails showed that the man made global warming promoters had been from the beginning, falsifying their data to advance the theory of man made global warming. It turns out that this con job has been going on now for almost two decades and was a vast conspiracy. Dr. Roy Spencer and other credible scientist have done research on their own disproving the claims of man made Global Warming and in fact the collected data has been showing a decrease in temperatures across the globe. This is a huge business for funding research. There is also the carbon credit legislation which is another huge con job benefiting those former politicians who advanced the theories on behalf of becoming rich off them.
What Republicans need to do is to end the power installed in the EPA by claims of protecting the planet. The advancing of fake global warming agenda is in fact advancing globalism and a one world order. Since they cannot fake a comet or asteroid threatening the earth, they instead use man made global warming as the world wide emergency as a sort of ‘eminent domain’ to advance their agenda of ‘saving the earth’ from itself.
Ah! Yep! This comes to know surprise to most all Mainers, including me. Once again Senator Olympia Snowe has shown her true colors by turning in support of Obama’s and the far left liberal Congressional policies; namely, Cap & Trade (a/k/a Obamacrap & Tax).
Senator Snowe is a Democrat in Republican clothing. For this reason, the majority of Mainer’s 2nd Congressional District are actively campaigning to ‘throw her out of office’ when she seeks reelection in 2012.
I read a lot of articles from both sides of the political spectrum but this “Most Americans agree that the country should work toward a clean environment. But “clean” is a term used to argue for cumbersome legislation and government subsidies” is one of the craziest one liners I have read in a while. People need to wake up and start getting some things straight. 1. Choosing whether or not to “believe” in climate change makes no sense. Do you doubt that the periodic table is real? No. You accept that it is fact. The same is true with climate change. There is no denying that it is happening and is being caused by anthropogenic sources. What you choose to do with that information is up to you. 2. A completely free market economy does not work. Reaganomics, trickle down theory, it does not matter what you call it they’re all the same and none of them work. I will agree that the current system does not work either and we are definitely in need of serious reform in this country but unregulated corporate America is decidedly not the answer. 3. Cutting taxes and the deficit are two things that cannot happen in tandem without cutting services that millions of people depend on. Now before everybody gets themselves in a frenzy and says that’s too bad, get a job, first stop and think: Perry has seen that calling Social Security a Ponzi scheme does not work if he wants to get the money and support of old white people who enjoy/depend on their Social Security checks. Furthermore, think for a second if your house gets foreclosed on and you have nobody to turn to, would you like to live on the street? Perhaps the OWS thieves, rapists etc. wouldn’t look so bad then.
While I am sure this comment is going to make you angry, your comments do the same to me, a left leaning environmentalist who consequently is from Maine. Oh, and also your point is more valuable if you spell things correctly.
For those having an interest in green or renewable energy and would like to learn the truth about the deception and false promises carried on by the current administration, I encourage you to read two new books on the subject. 1. Renewable Energy: A Common Sense Energy Plan, by Brad Linscott and 2. The False Promise of Green Energy, by A. Morriss, et.al.