Some news out of Washington recently caught my attention regarding Senate consideration of the Kerry-Boxer climate change bill. Most people know this legislation as “cap-and-trade.” The news is that according to a U.S. Treasury Department analysis that the Obama Administration was forced to reveal under a Freedom of Information Act challenge, the preferred cap and trade bill of the environmental community would cost each American household $1,761.
That isn’t a study done by a special interest with an opposing point of view. The Obama Administration’s own analysis shows that working families would pay a steep price if the environmentalists get their way.
A recent study by the National Association of Manufacturers stated that West Virginia could lose up to 11,000 jobs, and on top of that there are other costs, of course. Capping carbon output in the United States would drive energy prices very high, especially in a state like West Virginia that enjoys affordable electricity because of easy access to coal reserves. We can’t afford to drive electricity bills up any further.
While the Kerry-Boxer style cap-and-trade will take a huge toll on individual families, it also takes a big bite out of West Virginia’s manufacturing economy. Everyone is aware that manufacturing in the United States has been badly damaged by the recession; adding a “cap-and-trade” system to the mix would likely guarantee gross state product reductions of up to $2.2 billion by 2030 according to the National Association of Manufacturers.
How can we have economic recovery in West Virginia if Congress passes legislation that makes it virtually impossible for manufacturers to do business?
It is my view that to achieve future energy and environmental objectives we must further the deployment of new clean-coal technologies. Why? Coal is an abundant resource, readily available in West Virginia and surrounding states. Promoting clean coal technology also allows the United States to rely on a clean source of domestic energy supplies that keeps costs for consumers low.
The Kerry-Boxer climate change bill, unfortunately, mandates sharp near-term emission reductions before these new clean coal technologies can be deployed. This will reduce the use of abundant low cost American electricity sources, such as coal, in favor of higher cost energy sources. This is what drives up energy costs for consumers and businesses, causing a drastic reduction in industrial output.
There simply must be a better way for addressing emission concerns than eliminating coal from the national energy policy, driving up energy costs and putting our economic future in jeopardy. My hope is that West Virginia’s senators will vote against anything resembling “cap-and-trade” and look for a better solution than what is on the table.
Delegate Pat McGeehan
Hancock County
