AUSTIN The Texas chapter of Americans for Prosperity had harsh words today for Senator and chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) after she pulled a fast one on the American people on Thursday by passing the Cap-and-Trade bill out of committee in spite of the opposition and boycott of all seven of the committees Republicans. The timing of the markup is an outrage considering the massive government takeover of health care that is in full swing in both chambers" said Peggy Venable AFP state director.
We deserve to be treated better than to be blindsided by a partisan vote while all of America is focused on the health care debate" Venable said.
The Kerry-Boxer bill is the Senate companion legislation to the House-passed Waxman-Markey energy tax bill. Both bills would restrict greenhouse gas emissions with a government-imposed cap and a Wall Street-run derivatives market to swap emission allowances. This weeks markup was the first step in the Senate for the scheme.
According to Texas Comptroller Susan Combs the effects of Cap and Trade would be devastating for Texas economy. Because Texas has a high concentration of the U.S. energy industry (15 percent of the states GDP according to the Comptrollers Office) rising energy prices would affect our states economy more than any other.
Just like Waxman-Markey this bill will cripple Texas economy. It will drive up energy prices and cost our state valuable jobs" Venable said. It seems that tax-and-spend big government advocates know no bounds to their hunger for power."
The energy taxes associated with the Waxman-Markey Bill will make every product that uses energy more expensive forcing hard-working Texans to bear substantial new costs and kicking a hole in our states economic strength" Gov. Rick Perry said last month at a discussion hosted by the
Public Utility Commission of Texas Texas
Railroad Commission and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
At a time when nationwide unemployment is pushing double digits and families across the country and our state are dealing with the loss of a paycheck we need to be looking for ways to hold down the cost of living not increase it" said Perry.
Chairman Pauken recently noted the urgent need of federal policies designed to encourage capital investment and create jobs in the private sector … Government cannot create jobs; only the private sector can. Waxman/Markey will kill more jobs than it creates."
This is the most complex piece of legislation in the history of our country… it imposes on EPA alone approximately 600 (new) mandates according to Kathleen Hartnett White Director of the Armstrong Center for Energy and the Environment at
Texas Public Policy Foundation.
Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is a nationwide organization of citizen leaders committed to advancing every individuals right to economic freedom and opportunity. For more information visit www.americansforprosperity.org
