Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson today voted against the efforts of Congressional Democrats to pass a cap-and-trade bill that promises large tax increases, higher energy costs, decreased jobs, and no real improvement in climate conditions over the next 100 years. Simpson, a member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, is concerned Congress is moving too fast without understanding the real consequences of the legislation. Further, Simpson agrees with the American Farm Bureau that the legislation will have a tremendous negative impact on agriculture and rural America.

“I don’t believe there is any hyperbole in saying this is the most consequential issue Congress will consider this year, and the Democrats are allowing one amendment and three hours of debate on a bill that we saw this week for the first time. That is just plain wrong,” said Simpson. “The Democrat leadership has rushed this enormous bill to the floor without any real idea of what impact it will have on our economy, competitiveness, and way of life. This is a classic example of Congress rushing to fix a problem it doesn’t fully understand and implement a solution it hasn’t fully considered. In the end, this legislation represents the largest tax increase in American history and a devastating blow to the competitiveness of American agriculture and manufacturing.”

H.R. 2454, the so-called American Clean Energy and Security Act, contains provisions that would amend the Clean Air Act to establish a cap-and-trade system designed to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions 17% below 2005 levels by 2020 and 83% below 2005 levels by 2050. Among its many provisions, the bill would:

 ·                     Establish an absolute cap on emissions and allow trading of emissions permits;

·                     Establish a Renewable Energy Standard (RES) requiring utilities to obtain 20 percent of their energy through renewable sources or energy efficiency by 2020, but nuclear energy and hydropower do NOT count toward the RES;

·                     Provide up to $4,500 per vehicle in a new “cash for clunkers” trade-in program for used automobiles;

·                     Rely on the untested and unproven technology of carbon capture and sequestration to meet its ambitious goals;

Among Simpson’s biggest objections to the bill is the fact that it does not include nuclear energy or hydropower as clean energy sources. In fact, Democrats refused to allow consideration of several amendments that would have allowed nuclear energy to be used under the RES. “The mere fact that Democrats would not even allow a vote on nuclear energy proves this bill is not really about combating climate change, it is about establishing an energy economy that punishes activities and industries they don’t like,” said Simpson.

“Instead of creating a host of government mandates and forcing consumers to foot the bill for this legislation, I support using technology, incentives, and innovation to move our economy to a sustainable, independent energy future. I believe that to do so we must look at all domestic options, including renewable energy, nuclear energy, hydropower, and technologies to more cleanly utilize our abundant fossil fuel reserves,” said Simpson.