Monday, June 9, 2008

Rosalind Peterson

Received the following email from Rosalind Peterson a few days ago:


June 6, 2008
Senator Boxer’s Bait & Switch Bill

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=s110-3036 Click here to see the complete text of Senator Boxer’s substitute Climate Security Act Bill S3036.

This change is a “bait and switch” tactic by Senator Boxer, to pass almost the exact same bill as #2191, on June 6, 2008. Since no one will be opposing #3036 because this change was not made until the end of Senate business day on June 5, 2008.

This substitute bill will be debated on the floor of the U.S. Senate starting on Friday, June 6, 2008. Please note that this bill has a few differences from the one below but has essentially the same wording and problems as #2191, which was debated all week.

The U.S. Senate has been debating U.S. Senate Bill 2191 this week. http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=s110-2191 Click Here to see the text in U.S. Senate Bill 2192 which is being debated on the floor of the U.S. Senate between June 2, 2008, and June 5, 2008 (maybe longer).

Now, Senator Boxer’s Substitute Bill 3036 will be debated on Friday, June 6, 2008.

This Cap & Trade Bill will fleece the American Taxpayers out of $Millions of dollars to set up a private corporation, the Climate Credit Corporation, that is under no Congressional oversight, to buy and sell, unregulated (and mostly bogus), pollution credits to polluting corporations, enabling them to pollute more by purchasing or getting guaranteed banking loans (helping the banking industry), to purchase credits.

Another new board will be established if #3036 is passed: the Carbon Market Efficiency Board, the term of a board member has been changed to where a board member could serve for 14 years.

The rules and regulations within this bill will lower the standards set under the Clean Water Act to allow for questionable carbon sequestration which Congress knows is polluting or they wouldn't have to lower these standards.

The buying and selling of bogus pollution credits will not be regulated under this bill. It is like having the American taxpayers fund a worldwide gambling casino. And it appears that nothing will happen until 2012, doing nothing to implement the reduction of air pollution for four years while the taxpayers fund this new private, unregulated corporation.

We know that many financial markets, like the oil futures markets, are unregulated. This system will operate under a similar scheme. In the end the taxpayers will pay because corporations will transfer their costs to consumers with higher prices, goods arriving from other countries will have higher prices due to emissions charges, and we will fund this corporation as well. This will to speculation in the emissions credit markets and will enrich those industries that are not polluting, giving them money for the credits they sell. The American taxpayer fleecing will be complete if this bill passes. The self-reinforcing bubble market that the buying and selling of emissions credits will eventually collapse and then the taxpayer will fund that collapse.

This cap and trade bill provides no climate security nor does it lower any air pollution emissions. It opens the door to speculators which will cost Americans both in the products they buy and also in the taxes they pay. This is a double or triple tax. If our elected officials want to reduce pollutants all they need to do is set standards for polluting industries to meet, under the EPA, and have them enforced. Polluters who continue to pollute each year would pay heavier and heavier fines to the EPA who can then redirect the money to technologies that will reduce
air pollution.

This bill does not speak to alternative means of transportation, bullet trains, or funding any other alternatives. This bill is a regressive tax on all of us without funding the alternatives that are need to reduce our carbon imprint. When you raise the taxes on gasoline, diesel fuel, home heating fuels, etc., you increase the price of basics like food and clothes.

And where does this wealth go...to set up a private Climate Change Corporation that will use our tax dollars to allow polluters to pollute more by purchasing bogus emissions credits in an unregulated money market scheme. This bill is not helping reducing our use of oil…there are few if any realistic alternatives at this point…it is about the redistribution of our tax dollars to speculators in this money market scheme.

Our first solution is to defeat U.S. Senate Bill 2191 today by calling this toll free number (1866) 220-0044 and letting your elected officials know how you feel about this bill. California Senator Boxer is a driving force behind this Climate Security Act sham and California Senate Feinstein has refused to take a public stand so far on this legislation.

If we don't take action today this bill will pass and our tax dollars will go to fund a private corporation, the Climate Credit Corporation, while air pollution that impacts climate change will continue unabated.

More information on Cap & Trade Issues (+ links): http://newswithviews.com/Peterson/rosalindA.htm

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