House passes anti energy bill

NY Times:

Overcoming deep divisions within its Democratic majority, the House passed legislation on Friday intended to address the threat of global warming and transform the way the United States produces and uses energy.

The vote was 219 to 212.

The vote was the first time either house of Congress had approved a bill intended to curb the heat-trapping gases scientists have linked to climate change, and its provisions could lead to sweeping changes in many sectors of the American economy, including electric power generation, agriculture, manufacturing and construction. The House vote also establishes a marker for the United States when international negotiations on a new global climate change treaty begin later this year.

“This legislation will break our dependence on foreign oil, make our nation a leader in clean energy jobs and cut global warming pollution,” said Representative Henry A. Waxman, Democrat of California, a co-sponsor of the bill, adding that Friday’s vote was a “decisive and historic action” that would position the United States as a leader in energy efficiency and technology.

...

The only thing good about this bill is the opportunities it gives the Republicans to run ads against Democrats who voted for it after it ruins the economy. Waxman is clearly delusional if he thinks there is anything in it that will decrease dependency on imported oil. If anything it will increase because of restrictions on domestic production and the higher cost of the so called alternative energy "solutions." As a matter of economics it will be a disaster if it achieves its objectives.

If the Senate rejects the bill as hopefully it will, then we will have dodged a bullet while picking up ad material for coming campaigns against Democrats who voted for this disaster. When you consider the costs to Americans to lower temperature less than a degree at some point when most of us will be dead, it has to be one of the most foolish pieces of legislation in history.