Coalition of the Kool Aid Drinkers

Last month I wrote about how Governor O’Malley and his green allies are working hard to raise our energy costs. Well the Green House Gas Reduction Act of 2009 has been filed SB 278/HB 315. It aims to reduce the state’s GHG emissions 25% from 2006 levels by 2020. The Department of Environment would be tasked with producing a plan cough—cap and trade—cough. The bill exempts the state’s manufacturing base. Obviously they caved and joined the greens in passing the costs on to…us.

Section 2-102 states:

“MANUFACTURING” DOES NOT INCLUDE:
(I) ACTIVITIES THAT ARE PRIMARILY A SERVICE;

(II) ACTIVITIES THAT ARE INTELLECTUAL, ARTISTIC, OR
CLERICAL IN NATURE;

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(III) PUBLIC UTILITY SERVICES, INCLUDING GAS, ELECTRIC,

So energy production, in particular electricity, is not excluded. By far, the cheapest form of electricity is from coal fired plants and will come under this regulatory tax. Whereas wind and solar, which produce no GHGs—and are more expensive to generate and transmit—will be favored under this new mandate. Well heeled and politically connected alternative energy barons like former Maryland Democratic Party Chair Wayne Rogers, and Clipper Windpower’s James Dehlsen (a delegate to Kyoto) stand to reap major windfalls. Annapolis will pick the winners and losers.

In another example that political reality in Annapolis is the direct opposite of the economic reality working families face, section 2-1206 (4) reads:

IN DEVELOPING AND IMPLEMENTING THE PLAN REQUIRED BY § 2–1205 OF THIS SUBTITLE, THE DEPARTMENT SHALL:

ENSURE THAT THE PLAN DOES NOT DECREASE THE LIKELIHOOD OF RELIABLE AND AFFORDABLE ELECTRICAL SERVICE AND STATEWIDE FUEL SUPPLIES…

What kind of Orwellian newspeak is this? Increased electricity costs will be a direct consequence of this bill.

The inanity doesn’t stop there:

DO NOT DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACT LOW–INCOME, LOW– TO MODERATE–INCOME, OR MINORITY COMMUNITIES OR ANY OTHER PARTICULAR CLASS OF ELECTRICITY RATEPAYERS;

It will disproportionately affect low income ratepayers.

PRODUCE A NET ECONOMIC BENEFIT TO THE STATE’S ECONOMY AND A NET INCREASE IN JOBS IN THE STATE; AND

It will do the exact opposite.

ENCOURAGE NEW EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN THE STATE RELATED TO ENERGY CONSERVATION, ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SUPPLY, AND GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS REDUCTION TECHNOLOGIES.

It will do that, but only by destroying other jobs in the process.

Here is a list of your legislators, who want to foist this economic albatross on the state.

Senate:

President, The
Senator Paul G. Pinsky, District 22
Administration
Senator Joan Carter Conway, District 43
Senator Ulysses Currie, District 25
Senator Jennie M. Forehand, District 17
Senator Brian E. Frosh, District 16
Senator Rob Garagiola, District 15
Senator Lisa A. Gladden, District 41
Senator David C. Harrington, District 47
Senator Delores G. Kelley, District 10
Senator Nancy J. King, District 39
Senator Mike Lenett, District 19
Senator Richard S. Madaleno, Jr., District 18
Senator Thomas M. Middleton, District 28
Senator C. Anthony Muse, District 26
Senator Douglas J. J. Peters, District 23
Senator Catherine E. Pugh, District 40
Senator Jamie Raskin, District 20
Senator James N. Robey, District 13
Senator Jim Rosapepe, District 21
Senator Norman R. Stone, Jr., District 6

House of Delegates:
Delegate Kumar P. Barve, District 17
Delegate Saqib Ali, District 39
Delegate Charles Barkley, District 39
Delegate Ben Barnes, District 21
Delegate Pamela Beidle, District 32
Delegate Joanne C. Benson, District 24
Delegate Elizabeth Bobo, District 12B
Delegate Talmadge Branch, District 45
Delegate William A. Bronrott, District 16
Delegate Rudolph C. Cane, District 37A
Delegate Jon S. Cardin, District 11
Delegate Alfred C. Carr, Jr., District 18
Delegate Virginia P. Clagett, District 30
Delegate Brian J. Feldman, District 15
Delegate C. William Frick, District 16
Delegate Barbara Frush, District 21
Delegate Tawanna P. Gaines, District 22
Delegate Jim Gilchrist, District 17
Delegate Ana Sol Gutierrez, District 18
Delegate Guy Guzzone, District 13
Delegate Anne Healey, District 22
Delegate Sue Hecht, District 3A
Delegate Marvin E. Holmes, Jr., District 23B
Delegate Carolyn J. B. Howard, District 24
Delegate James W. Hubbard, District 23A
Delegate Tom Hucker, District 20
Delegate Jolene Ivey, District 47
Delegate Anne R. Kaiser, District 14
Delegate Benjamin F. Kramer, District 19
Delegate Stephen W. Lafferty, District 42
Delegate Susan C. Lee, District 16
Delegate Gerron S. Levi, District 23A
Delegate Murray D. Levy, District 28
Delegate James E. Malone, Jr., District 12A
Delegate Roger P. Manno, District 19
Delegate Maggie McIntosh, District 43
Delegate Heather R. Mizeur, District 20
Delegate Karen S. Montgomery, District 14
Delegate Dan K. Morhaim, District 11
Delegate Doyle L. Niemann, District 47
Delegate Joseline A. Pena-Melnyk, District 21
Delegate Shane E. Pendergrass, District 13
Delegate Victor R. Ramirez, District 47
Delegate Kirill Reznik, District 39
Delegate Samuel I. Rosenberg, District 41
Delegate Justin D. Ross, District 22
Delegate Todd Schuler, District 8
Speaker, The
Delegate Dana Stein, District 11
Delegate Melvin L. Stukes, District 44
Delegate Herman L. Taylor, Jr., District 14
Delegate Frank S. Turner, District 13
Delegate Veronica Turner, District 26
Delegate Kriselda Valderrama, District 26
Delegate Michael L. Vaughn, District 24
Delegate Jeff Waldstreicher, District 18