Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Dan Lungren released a statement Friday opposing what he called “the majority’s ill-conceived Cap and Trade legislation,” which he said “will put a cap on the amount of carbon which can be emitted. Companies then buy and sell permits which allow them to emit carbon dioxide.” In a release by e-mail, Lungren, a Republican who represents (District 3, including Amador County), said: “We all can agree that the health of our environment is important. However, this cap and trade bill is not the answer to weaning ourselves off foreign oil or stopping greenhouse gasses.” Lungren said: “Depending on how the system is structured, the Tax Foundation estimates cap and trade could reduce U.S. employment by 965,000 jobs, household earnings by $37.8 billion (dollars), and economic output by $136 billion (dollars) per year or roughly $1,145 (dollars) per household.” Lungren pointed out that Warren Buffet last week repeated criticism of cap and trade as a method to control pollution, saying it would be “a huge, regressive tax.” Lungren said: “President Obama himself explained in 2008” that under his “plan of a cap and trade system, the electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket. Coal power plants, natural gas, you name it, whatever the industry was, they would have to retrofit their operations. That will cost money. That money will be passed on to their consumers.” Lungren said “Manufacturers will ship their plants to countries with less stringent environmental safeguards, hurting American workers and the environment.” He said “During these difficult economic times, higher energy prices and massive job losses are the last thing American families need.” He said “The United States has the technological know how to create cleaner ways to power our economy. We can increase our use of nuclear power, produce more natural gas and find a cleaner way to use our most abundant natural resource, coal.” Lungren said his “constituents deserve better than this massive national energy tax,” and he said he would “continue to fight for a comprehensive energy solution that creates jobs, makes energy more affordable, helps clean up the environment, and ensures our energy independence.” He said he would “oppose any effort to impose a national energy tax on working families.” Congressman Dan Lungren serves as Ranking Member on the House Administration Committee in addition to serving on the Judiciary and Homeland Security committees. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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