Russ Steele
I will be giving a presentation on the cost global warming regulation at the April CABPRO Luncheon on the 18th, at the National Hotel in Nevada City. Details here. My research has produced some interesting finds, including this from the Washington Post this morning.
As U.S. lawmakers work on the details of their greenhouse-gas legislation, they are looking carefully at Europe's experience. Five Senate proposals all use the same basic approach, known as "cap and trade," that Europe has used for the past two years. But what the snappy name "cap and trade" means is that the market will put a price on something that's always been free: the right of a factory to emit carbon gases. That could affect the cost of everything from windowpanes to airline tickets to electricity.
Europe has already hit a few bumps with its program. There's the Dutch silicon carbide maker that calls itself the greenest such plant in the world, but now can't afford to run full-time; the French cement workers who fear they're going to lose jobs to Morocco, which doesn't have to meet the European guidelines; and the German homeowners who pay 25 percent more for electricity than they did before -- even as their utility companies earn record profits.
Complete story here.
All the European countries are worried their products will not longer be competitive under "cap and trade" regulations. Can this happen in California, in Nevada County? Ask Lowell Robinson about the impact current environmential regulation are having on his business, details in January CABPRO Newsletter here.
Regardless of your business, the cost of energy will go up in California, while PG&E profits soar. PG&E is on the record, they support California’s cap and trade legislation, reporting "cap and trade" is good for their business. The question is, is it good for your business?
