Railroad Commissioner warns Washington of economic dangers of proposed legislation
AUSTIN TEXAS-- Texas Railroad Commissioner Elizabeth Ames Jones proposed and passed a Position Letter at the Railroad Commission Conference opposing the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 also known as the Cap and Trade bill. The letter was supported and signed by the other two Commissioners.
It is important that we as a Commission have a unified position on this crucial issue said Commissioner Jones. Texas which is the leading energy producing state in the nation stands to be adversely effected by this legislation. Not only will the energy industry be negatively effected but also Texans will see their energy bills increase dramatically. A new report by the Texas Comptroller shows that if the Cap and Trade legislation were in effect today Texans would be spending an additional $1100 on goods and services next year.
The Cap and Trade legislation passed the U.S. House of Representatives last week and now will be taken up by the U.S. Senate. The letter which can be found here will be sent to Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson and Senator John Cornyn.
Senators Hutchison and Cornyn care very much about the people of Texas and have both indicated they will oppose the measure in the Senate said Jones. However I believe it is critical for the nations top state energy regulatory body to be on record opposing this legislation.
Elizabeth Ames Jones was elected three times to the Texas House of Representatives before her appointment in 2005 to the Texas Railroad Commission. In November 2006 she was elected to serve a six-year term. She served as Chairman from 2005-2007 and is a recognized leader on energy policy and coastal issues. She serves on the Coastal Coordination Council the Coastal Land Advisory Board and is a member of the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission.
