Democratic Congressmen on ACES Climate Bill: "Doing nothing actually results in more renewable

Representative Doggett (D-TX): "Doing nothing actually results in more renewable energy than approving ACES... Largest corporate welfare program in US history... I cannot support it." Rep. Doggett is citing analysis by the EPA, which found that ACES would reduce the amount of renewable energy deployed in the United States relative to business-as-usual, increase the amount of coal-fired electricity generation relative to 2005 levels, and provide no incentive for a move to cleaner cars.



Update: After intensive pressure from the House Leadership, White House and advocates of Waxman-Markey, Representative Doggett later decided to cast his vote in favor of the bill, although he did not rescind any of his statements about the flaws and inadequacies of the legislation.

Representative DeFazio (D-OR): "Wall Street predicts this is the new trillion dollar market." Rep. DeFazio echoes a recent study by Friends of the Earth, which found that "the federal cap and trade proposals put forth so far would create a system that poses almost identical challenges as those in the mortgage-lending industry."



And, finally, tried and true progressive Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), who ultimately voted against the bill, had this say: "I oppose H.R. 2454, the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009. The reason is simple. It won't address the problem. In fact, it might make the problem worse.

"It sets targets that are too weak, especially in the short term, and sets about meeting those targets through Enron-style accounting methods. It gives new life to one of the primary sources of the problem that should be on its way out- coal - by giving it record subsidies. And it is rounded out with massive corporate giveaways at taxpayer expense. There is $60 billion for a single technology which may or may not work, but which enables coal power plants to keep warming the planet at least another 20 years.

"Worse, the bill locks us into a framework that will fail." (get the full text of Kucinich's address here)

For a full collection of Breakthrough Institute's analysis on the American Clean Energy & Security Act, see here.

Comments

This is the weakness in ACES... will it survive a Senate vote? More than 40 democrats voting against it in the House does not bode well!

By Terrence Murray on 2009 06 29