Russ Steele
President Obama has a $79 Billion a Cap-and-Trade program in his budget plans. Obama’s budget plan assumes $78.7 billion in revenue in 2012 from the sale of greenhouse-gas emission permits to polluters.
A “cap-and-trade” program would generate a total of $645.7 billion by 2019, according to the budget blueprint Obama sent to Congress.
California's Governor and the Legislature also have a Cap-and-Trade program in works under AB32, the The Global Warming Solutions Act. This Cap-and-Trade program is expected to produce revenue for the State coffers, helping reduce our growing deficit.
My questions is will we have both programs? One State and one Federal? Or, just the Federal program? The federal program would have our tax dollars flowing in to Federal coffers. The AB32 program would have our tax dollars flowing into California coffers. Both programs will make energy more costly as they attempt to reduce greenhouse gases. Never mind the scientist tell us the effect would be almost unmeasurable. A very poor cost to benefit ratio.
If we have both programs, the cost of transportation is going to go up big time. That will not be good for the tourist economy on California or any where in the nation for that matter. It will be like having $5.00 and $6.00 dollar fuel all the time. The $4.00 a gallon fuel costs reduced tourism in Nevada County last years, what will $5.00 and $6.00 a gallon fuel do for the next twenty years?
Can we afford two Cap-and-Trade programs? Can we afford one, given the lack of benefits to the atmosphere. Just asking? Do you have answers?
