Copenhagen, Climate Change and the Threat to U.S. Jobs
Washington,
Dec 18, 2009 -
Over the last few weeks an international summit on climate change took place in Copenhagen, Denmark. It centered around developing a binding international climate change mandate.
Unfortunately for the United States, this is likely to do much more harm than good. Instead of allowing all scientific opinions to be heard, this conference was devoid of an honest, comprehensive debate.
Even worse are the proposed “solutions” that are the result of the conference. These include a trillion dollar payment, pledged by the Obama Administration and backed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, to finance climate change policies in other countries. At a time, when our own nation is already spending trillions that we don’t have, facing historic levels of debt and contending with an unemployment rate of 10 percent – this defies common sense.
This trillion dollar giveaway to other countries, coupled with the proposed cap-and-trade national energy tax that will send jobs overseas to China and India, would be a serious blow to American jobs and our economy here. In fact, the Obama Administration’s Treasury Department estimates that the cap-and-trade national energy tax will result in an average $1,761 in increased costs for American families.
I believe that any successful energy solution must meet three important goals: 1) ensure a reliable and affordable energy supply to support economic growth and create jobs, 2) protect our national security by reducing our dependence on foreign oil and 3) expand the use of clean and renewable energy sources.
As the top Republican on the House Natural Resources Committee, I am working to achieve these goals by advancing an all-of-the-above American energy plan that says yes to new alternative energy sources, wind and solar, nuclear power, hydropower and drilling for oil and natural gas in America.
I’m backing the American Energy Act, which is a comprehensive energy solution that would help achieve a cleaner, cheaper energy system by creating new energy and new jobs.
There is a better path forward for our country that will help Americans get back to work, expand clean energy, and make the United States more energy independent. That path forward won’t be found in Copenhagen, but rather through the ingenuity and hard work of Americans willing to invest in our future and support an all-of-the-above energy plan for our nation.
