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The Public Policy
When Governors Associate
Global warm-mongers march on the South -- and the Southern Governors Association has given them a green light.
It's the last frontier among the states for global warm-mongers to conquer: Dixie.
While everyone else pays attention to the American Clean Energy and Security Act (also known as the Waxman-Markey cap-and-trade bill), the states continue to move along trying to enact their own fossil fuel-limiting schemes. According to a report in late June in Carbon Control News (subscription only), states "vow to press on with climate change plans to pressure [the] feds":
State officials told reporters that they welcome the creation of a federal economy-wide cap-and-trade program that preempts their state and regional initiatives in the House bill, saying the explicit purpose of the state initiatives was always to lay the groundwork for a federal program. "We created our program always in anticipation of a strong federal program," (Commissioner) Laurie Burt of Massachusetts (Department of Environmental Protection) told reporters at a side briefing at the Pew climate conference.
But state officials say that just in case climate legislation does not get signed into law this year, they have begun meeting to create a strong North American market to cap and trade [greenhouse gas] allowances based on the successful platform of RGGI (the Northeastern states' Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative) and efforts in California. The Western Climate Initiative, the Midwest GHG reduction accord and Ontario is also on board, though their programs are further behind RGGI, which has already started auctioning allowances.
All these state collaborations have been driven and funded by environmental nonprofits and their multi-million dollar foundations, using the governors as their water carriers. The last gaping hole for them is the South, and they hope to topple that last domino this weekend at the annual meeting of the Southern Governors Association.
With the recession and some Southern states hitting double digits in unemployment, you might think the governors would want to put their heads together for economic development strategies, or to discuss how to utilize stimulus funds to help increase jobs. But instead it's almost all climate, all the time.
Their cap-and-trade agenda is revealed in the titles of this week's SGA topics: "Climate Change, Energy and National Security"; "Evaluating State-based Climate and Energy Policies"; "Developing a Smart Electricity Grid"; and "Balancing Energy Demands with Climate Goals." Even SGA's singular transportation panel will discuss "improved fuel efficiency and green corridors," while the only non-climate session will address the hot-button health care issue.
The seemingly omnipresent Center for Climate Strategies will anchor the state climate talk. This group denies its global warming activism but has convinced nearly half the states' governors into hiring them to promote their state-level greenhouse gas reduction ideas. Every time a state chief executive orders into existence a blue ribbon panel on climate, CCS gets about a half million dollars from a number of environmentally active foundations -- primarily the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. So CCS asks states (usually the governors) to endorse the extreme carbon control plans of their activist backers and, if possible, enact them.
This strategy was expressed by CCS president Tom Peterson, who in an interview posted on Google Video said, "We've been supporting the [states] in the formation of comprehensive climate action plans and all the policies that are involved in reducing (GHG) emissions from all the different economic sectors in the economy, and ultimately (hope it will) lead to national policies and we hope even international agreements that can lead the nation forward in terms of addressing the (global warming) problem."
The belief is that President Bush did not move fast enough for the environoiacs on global warming, so groups like CCS moved to create pressure from lower levels of government. Hoping to patch together a mishmash of carbon cap policies in different states and across regions of the country, the federal government would then be forced to act so large utilities and industrial emitters could have uniform rules to follow. Out of chaos would come carbon control consistency.
CCS, Rockefeller Brothers, and other multi-millionaire funders like the Energy Foundation have nearly reached their goal, with a Southern regional agreement excepted. However, a number of SGA governors (not legislatures) have adopted climate plans: Democrats Mike Beebe in Arkansas, Martin O'Malley in Maryland, and Beverly Perdue's predecessor, Mike Easley, in North Carolina. Also on board are Republicans Charlie Crist in Florida and Mark Sanford in South Carolina. Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, a Democrat, created a climate commission without using CCS.
Altogether that's only six of the 16 total governors in SGA, but that doesn't daunt these environmental activists. It only took seven of 19 members of the Western Governors Association to patch together the Western Climate Initiative, and SGA members so inclined will executive order their states into an agreement, much like Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire did in overruling her legislature. "I wanted cap-and-trade," she told the Los Angeles Times. "I didn't get it."
It may not be a tall order for the alarmists to convince a few more SGA governors to support a cap-and-trade plan. Five of the 11 remaining who haven't developed formal climate goals share the political party, if not the agenda, of our carbon-controlling president.
And it's not a good sign that SGA allowed the alarmists to so completely set their itinerary for this weekend. They have an opportunity to unload all the ammunition they have without concern for being rebutted. Maybe conservatives such as Gov. Haley Barbour of Mississippi or Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana will have something to say about it, but more likely their voices will be drowned out.
About the Author
Paul Chesser is executive director for the American Tradition Institute and a senior fellow for the Commonwealth Foundation for Public Policy Alternatives. The views he expresses do not necessarily reflect the views of these organizations.
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2Anglico| 8.19.09 @ 7:42AM
Birds of a feather always flock together.
Melvin| 8.19.09 @ 8:09AM
Beverly Perdue's predecessor, Mike Easley, in North Carolina created his own renewable energy scheme to create an additional revenue stream into the general NC State fund.
Former NC Gov. Easley never met a tax hike he didn't like, but he was running into a wall because he already had created multiple taxes and fees on-top of taxes and fees that were already in place, but he wanted NC Gov. to continue to grow with all his pet projects.
So Mikey created the NC renewable energy act in 2007 that mandated to the electric companies that x-amount of energy will be produced from renewable sources.
Well, guess what? These renewable energy mandates costs were passed onto the customers which in turn caused our electrical bills to increase twice because these mandates were phased in.
Gov. Purdue loves to tout her horn on this because she rode shotgun for Gov. Easley in crafting the legislation to move through the NC Legislature.
One of the mandates is to have energy generated from pig and chicken poo but there is one problem. Electric utilities in North Carolina have asked state regulators to delay a law that requires them to generate energy from pig or chicken waste, because only one company bid on the project and electric utilities are extremely concerned on the cost which is prohibitively expensive because the technology to create energy from poo is still in its infancy and is not yet viable for commercial use.
In other words Gov. Bev. forced legislation through on proposed idea from Fibrowatt, a Pennsylvania company on yet unproven technology.
Bottom line the NC electrical consumers will have to bear the brunt of these passed on costs from the electrical utilities because of 2007 renewable energy mandate on technology that doesn't exist yet.
As a side note Former Gov. Easley who presided over one of the most corrupt administrations in NC history and is under federal investigation for corruption and guess who was Lt. Gov. during Easley's tenure? Yep, old Bev. Purdue who also never met a tax she didn't like who just signed the NC budget which includes one billion dollars in tax increases during a recession.
Michael Tomlinson| 8.19.09 @ 9:11AM
It should be noted that aside form Crist and Sanford the only Southern governors who are crazy about this BS are Democrats -- who in the case O'Malley and Perdue are wildly unpopular. Enacting enviornmental legislation that kills jobs will only make things harder for the party of jackasses in 2010 and 2012.
It is unlikely Governor Rick Perry of Texas, who has boldly taken on Obama, will sit by and allow the radical left to dictate anything to the great state of Texas.
owyheewine| 8.19.09 @ 9:39AM
Thomas Sowell often asks, "And Then What ?" when discussing the results of any action.
Successful people don't just think about the initial result of government action, but then consider how those affected will react and change their behaviors as a result of the action. Really successful people consider the third and fourth iteration of reactions.
It doesn't take much thought to figure out that the "and then what" result of cap and trade will result in huge increases in energy prices when the traders figure out how to extract their cut. Pity there are so many Ivy Leaguers in government that can't think beyond the first result.
Ken (Old Texican)| 8.19.09 @ 9:43AM
Yeah, Governor Perry has shown up since April.
The thing that simply amazes me though, is that the "climate change" knotheads have been proven silly over the last couple of years.
They also never mention all the pollution being pumped out by China, India, Mexico, and the rest of the world. The last I heard, we Americans use about 25% of the carbon based fuels in the world.
This bill is all about keeping us SERFS down on the farm.....period!
CopyKatnj| 8.19.09 @ 11:39AM
The man-made-climate warming hoax has been recently exposed for all to see.
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/08/14/earth-wobble-climate.html
gill.Oteen07041776@gmail.com| 8.19.09 @ 11:52AM
But, but, but global warming is real. Why I can prove that it’s much hotter today in my own neighborhood than it was only 6 months ago. I even removed my parka. Furthermore, I know a friend of the Devil and he told me that Satan uses the souls of liberal lemmings, tort lawyers and politicians to fuel his furnaces. As we all know, these furnaces are hidden within the Earth’s core. Because his fuel supply has been extremely cheap and plentiful since 1932 and grows more abundant daily, his furnaces are running hotter than ever before. This heat is melting the ice caps, causing the seas to rise and drowning helpless, lovable polar bear cubs. We can save these furry victims by denying Lucifer his special firewood. It’s simple, obumarrhoids only need to ask God for His forgiveness, atone for their transgressions and sin no more.
Gill O’Teen ✝✡
gill.Oteen07041776@gmail.com
Don’t Tread on Me!!
Rick Sharp| 8.19.09 @ 1:27PM
I live in California. Why not use our state as a template? The environmentalists and unions have been in charge for years. They have driven our state to new levels. With the departure of so many people and businesses our greenhouse gas contribution has fallen considerably.
whyyeseyec| 8.19.09 @ 2:51PM
Ivy Leaguers` have book learnin` owyheewine but no hands on experience or common sense...
Marc Jeric| 8.19.09 @ 6:15PM
1) There was first in the 1970's the global cooling scam (see e.g. Newsweek April 28 1975 on the Internet); the government-paid scientists (90% of them are rejects of private enterprise) recommended to fight the new ice age by sending our war planes to cover the polar ice with soot in order to increase solar heat and so prevent crushing of New York skyscrapers by the new glaciers;
2) When that did not work we had the global warming hoax in the 1990's, proclaimed by mainly the same government-paid scientists (Dr. Hansen of the NOAA, for example); to prevent the massive heating, fires, flooding of coastal cities, disappearance of Florida, California, and Caribbean islands, massive hurricanes, global famine, and other catastrophic events we should nationalize oil and gas and coal and electricity companies;
3) after 11 years of considerable cooling we are now faced with the climate change flimflam where whatever happens with our climate we should nationalize oil and gas and coal and electricity companies; and why not our banks, car and insurance companies while we are at it. To prevent this catastrophe the best vehicle presumably is international agreements enforced by the United Nations world government.
As for the influence of carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas: on a normal day the atmosphere contains 10,000 ppm (parts per million) of water vapor and about 300 ppm of carbon dioxide. The government-paid scientists say that an increase of 100 ppm of CO2 over the next 50 years will result in a catastrophic warming. The thermal absorptivity of water vapor is 4 times larger than that of carbon dioxide; it follows that the CO2 increase will increase the overall thermal absorptivity of the mixture by about 1/4 of one percent. The production of methane from livestock flatulence and the rotting swamps (called "wetlands" by the environmentalists) vastly surpasses the influence of human-produced CO2.
There is the Global Warming Petition Project (see Internet) where 31,478 US independent scientists declared that there is no anthropogenic (human-caused) global warming; of these 9,029 are scientists with PhD degrees. Our environmentalists tried to sabotage this effort by submiiting phony names with phoney degrees - and then claimed the whole effort by the Petition scientists was a fraud. It took us 3 years and a lot of private money to verify the credentials of all the signatories and clean up the Petition of those saboteurs. See also Manhattan Declaration with more such signatories, plus a large number of scientific groups from other countries who state the same.
I am one of these signatories, MS and PhD degrees from UCLA, with majors in thermodynamics and heat & mass transfer.
I think to fight this communist attempt to secure a permanent hold on power should not be fought on the narrow grounds of more taxes - that is the losing proposition; where about 50% of the population is on some kind of welfare we will always be outvoted. The battle should be fought and won on the firm scientific basis.
SCAM - HOAX - FLIMFLAM!!!
chi pink flat iron| 8.20.09 @ 5:14AM
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Pingback| 8.21.09 @ 10:41AM
Stand and Deliver, Bob | GlobalWarming.org links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Pingback| 8.21.09 @ 10:51AM
Celebrity Paycut - Encouraging celebrities all over the world to save us from global links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
wah| 8.23.09 @ 11:16PM
cap and trade is a horrible policy that will only increase the cost of living on the average americans, while at the same time increase the riches of the woodstockers. this is what authoritarians do..anything to severely punishment and cripple their own society in order to achieve and maintain absolute power.
chi hair tools| 8.31.09 @ 3:30AM
A man is driving up a steep, narrow mountain road. A woman is driving down the same road. As they pass each other, the woman leans out of the window and yells "PIG!!" The man immediately leans out of his window and replies, "WITCH(女巫)!!" They each continue on their way, and as the man rounds the next corner, he crashes into a pig in the middle of the road. If only men would listen.
sdfh| 2.2.10 @ 10:18PM
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