Thursday, April 23, 2009

Pollution and Unemployment: OK by Mike

Here in The Neighborhood, we've already noticed that Mike Rogers has been pretty vocal about his dislike of reducing greenhouse gases.  

Using the GOP playbook phrase "cap and tax" to argue that cap-and-trade carbon policy will hurt Michigan's economy, he's downplayed the real gains that can come from this market-based approach to pollution reduction.  

He also thinks that American manufacturers don't have the skills to step up and meet the opportunities of renewable energy technologies.  

Well, we're not the only ones who are underwhelmed by Mr. Rogers' pronouncements of doom.

Starting tomorrow, the League of Conservation Voters will air ads in the Lansing area critical of Rogers' opposition to the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009.  
“Reps. Blunt and Rogers have made it clear they are siding with Big Oil and saying no to millions of new jobs and no to making America a global leader on clean energy,” said League of Conservation Voters President Gene Karpinksi. “Why do they seem to have such little faith in American ingenuity and know-how?” 
That's a pretty good question.

If Mr. Rogers' loyalties lie with his district (not to mention his state and his country), he'll stop his knee-jerk "no" responses and work to enact legislation that can help our nation.  

If his loyalties lie with the GOP leadership, Mr. Rogers will keep on fundraising, party-building and wagging his finger at empty rooms.

We'll see what choices he makes in the weeks and months to come.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Co2 is not a "pollutant"! Too much politics not enough science. The planet will be fine. It's been chugging along for millions of years.
There is still no good scientific evidence that humans are having a quantifiable effect on the atmosphere. And if we do, so what? One volcanic eruption puts out more "greenhouse gases" than mankind has since the industrial revolution.
"Cap and trade" is a scam perpetrated by politicians & nitwits to screw you out of more money & control your life. Next we will start taxing animal farts and bean farmers to make you feel better.