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Thursday, July 2, 2009

Cap-and-trade bill not likely to deliver promised jobs

Editorial: The Detroit News - July 2, 2009

President Barack Obama is chiding critics of his carbon cap-and-trade proposal to combat global warming for being afraid of a future shaped by new energy technologies and thriving with so-called green jobs.
What those skeptics are really afraid of is a future locked to laws that institutionalize high unemployment, low growth and a lesser standard of living for Americans.
The administration and Democratic leaders in the House are banking passage of cap-and-trade legislation on the promise that the government's $100 billion investment in green technologies will spin off five million new jobs and hyper-boost the economy. It's a tough sell, even to the administration's congressional supporters.
The House just narrowly passed the measure, with many nervous Democrats deserting their leaders to join Republicans in opposition. That spells trouble for the bill in the Senate, where bipartisan concerns about the impact on the economy are being raised.
Before the country commits to such a radical change, the promises made by supporters must be more carefully examined.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says her advocacy for cap-and-trade is all about "jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs." But there's no evidence that employment has grown anywhere in the world because of energy mandates such as cap-and-trade.
A study released in March by four professors hosted by the University of Illinois casts a great deal of doubt about green job creation.
The academics found claims of green jobs to be unsubstantiated or overstated, and that energy mandates will likely kill more jobs in other industries than they create. (continues here)

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