Senate Dems to W.H.: Drop cap-and-trade

[Abdul Alhazred]

Senate Dems to W.H.: Drop cap-and-trade
(Politico)

Bruised by the health care debate and worried about what 2010 will bring, moderate Senate Democrats are urging the White House to give up now on any effort to pass a cap-and-trade bill next year.

“I am communicating that in every way I know how,” says Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.), one of at least half a dozen Democrats who've told the White House or their own leaders that it's time to jettison the centerpiece of their party's plan to curb global warming.

The creation of an economy-wide market for greenhouse gas emissions is as the heart of the climate bill that cleared the House earlier this year. But with the health care fight still raging and the economy still hurting, moderate Democrats have little appetite for another sweeping initiative — especially another one likely to pass with little or no Republican support.

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It might pass in abbreviated form if there's enough pork barrel bribery, but it's worth it for the planet, right?

 

[Trakar]

Senate Dems to W.H.: Drop cap-and-trade
(Politico)



It might pass in abbreviated form if there's enough pork barrel bribery, but it's worth it for the planet, right? [qimg]http://skepticalcommunity.com/phpbb2/images/smiles/BigGrin3.gif[/qimg]

Actually cap and trade has always been, at best, a largely futile, corporatist welfare scheme, and at worst a counter-productive bubble inflating economic ponzi scheme. A straight carbon tax is the best start, progressive if need be, with scheduled stepped increases over the coming decades, and funding from such directed toward alieviation start-ups.

 

[WildCat]

Actually cap and trade has always been, at best, a largely futile, corporatist welfare scheme, and at worst a counter-productive bubble inflating economic ponzi scheme. A straight carbon tax is the best start, progressive if need be, with scheduled stepped increases over the coming decades, and funding from such directed toward alieviation start-ups.

But there's no money from lobbyists to collect by doing the sensible thing...