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Contact
Jim: jdipeso@rep.org
(253) 740-2066 / 2011
Archive / 2010
Archive
Lindsey Graham's Reality Check
March 2, 2010
A
number of influential senators, such as North Dakota Democrat Byron
Dorgan, have made it plain that they want Congress to forget about
passing legislation limiting emissions of greenhouse gases that trap
heat and alter the climate.
Pass an "energy-only" bill, Dorgan and others argue. Legislation that
includes, say, a national renewable portfolio standard would push the
ball forward on low-carbon energy, sideline the Wall Street sharks
poised to feast on carbon allowance markets, and make for a notable
bipartisan achievement in a city that needs to rediscover the art of
cross-aisle deal-making.
Senator Lindsey Graham, with his pointed comment about passing a
"half-assed" energy bill, has little use for the "energy-only" notion.
In providing a necessary reality check, the South Carolina Republican
pointed out that the squeaky clean technologies stand little chance of
out-muscling the carbon-heavy incumbents oil and coal unless oil and
coal no longer can use the atmosphere as a free garbage can.
Graham’s reality check, offered in Thomas Friedman’s New York Times
column of February 27, deserves to be reprinted in its entirety: "The
technology doesn’t make sense until you price carbon. Nuclear power is
a bet on cleaner air. Wind and solar is a bet on cleaner air. You make
those bets assuming that cleaning the air will become more profitable
than leaving the air dirty, and the only way it will be so is if the
government puts some sticks on the table — not just carrots. The future
economy of America and the jobs of the future are going to be tied to
cleaning up the air, and in the process of cleaning up the air this
country becomes energy independent and our national security is greatly
enhanced."
Graham has it right. A price on carbon is the game changer essential
for setting in motion economic drivers essential for rewriting
America’s energy playbook.
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