Friday
November 6, 2009
Charles T. Drevna: 'Copenhagen… and Bust! Intellectual Honesty, Economy Take A Back Seat to Political Expediency in the Climate Debate'
NPRA President Charles T. Drevna writes in The Hill's Congress Blog (11/06/09):
The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee’s so-called “mark-up” of S. 1733 last Thursday, which avoided honest debate and constructive amendments, is proof that proponents of cap-and-trade legislation are more concerned with establishing an artificial timetable for legislative process, in advance of December’s UN climate conference in Copenhagen, than with considering the bill’s actual impact on the American economy, American jobs, and American consumers. In the midst of a severe recession with 10.2 percent national unemployment, our economy, the creation of jobs and consumer impact should take much greater precedence over attempts to impress international bureaucrats during an annual convention.
Europe, the overwhelming majority of which has failed to meet the prescribed targets of the Kyoto Protocol, stands to benefit from the implementation of a U.S. domestic cap-and-trade policy that specifically targets American refineries. Even before the enactment of such a policy, domestic refiners face significant competition from foreign producers.