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House GOP energy plan declares that impact of global warming ‘shall not be considered for any purpose.’

House Republicans today introduced their alternative energy plan. Developed by the Republican American Energy Solutions Group, the American Energy Act is billed as an “all of the above” energy program. But as The Wonk Room’s Brad Johnson notes, the legislation looks more like an attempt to legislate the threat of global warming “out of existence.” Indeed, the bill specifically states that at no point in implementing their energy plan can the effects of global warming on the environment “be considered for any purpose”:

geg_impact

Johnson remarks, “The Republican response to our dependence on fossil fuels and their pollution is to give billions of dollars in new tax breaks and subsidies to the oil, coal, and nuclear industries.”



48 Responses to “House GOP energy plan declares that impact of global warming ‘shall not be considered for any purpose.’”

  1. dbadass says:

    winds blowing less, oceans f ucked up, birds appearing and nesting in places they haven’t in the past… Were’s pete? I think I will let him handle this. Besides I don’t think Obamawipe$ likes me anymore…


  2. Chuck Feney says:

    This is progress: they aren’t denying the existence of Greenhouse Gases.

    Now, what about the impact of greenhouse gas on humans and humankind? Obviously a loophole. And, wouldn’t an impacted fish or wildlife or plant have an impact on man as well?

    I think so.


  3. pags2 says:

    This like living in a burning house and you are not allowed to call the fire department.


  4. Lost in Tarnation says:

    Why stop there? How about a clause that says “The effects of turning America into a Mordor-like hellhole shall not be considered when dumping tailings, the parts of mountaintops that aren’t coal, oil and fossil-fuel byproducts or nuclear waste. Because making us clean this crap up would be a hidden tax on industry.”


  5. Badmoodman says:

    House GOP energy plan declares that impact of global warming ‘shall not be considered for any purpose.’

    – - There, solved the global warming issue. Next…


  6. Quizmos says:

    This is nothing short of a declaration of war on planet Earth and all of her inhabitants. We have been warned!


  7. ElBruce says:

    “Nothing to see here” hardly constitutes a plan.


  8. wiley says:

    Good thing they’ve been castrated by low numbers. They’ve become an anachronism. A greedy one. We can’t afford their greed anymore.


  9. SKdeAnt says:

    They are LOSERS, determined to keep LOSING!
    Enjoy the sandwich, GOP!


  10. hanshiro the antlion says:

    Call it what it is…the republican Corporate Party.


  11. Oval12345678 aka James K. Sayre says:

    Hmm. These GOP comments and notions about global warming are proof positive of Evolution: this shows that the Republican Party is going extinct at an unusually fast rate. The GOP dinosaurs of the 21st century will soon just be an unpleasant memory…


  12. Curlew says:

    Proving once again that absolutely nothing is too low and underhanded for these slimey bastards. I wish it was the day after election day 2010 so they were even further in the minority.


  13. DJ says:

    “(C) Value of the transcendental number PI.—No calculations in this Act shall be considered to have the effect of altering the value of PI from 3.”


  14. nellre says:

    I think these guys should be prosecuted for criminal negligence.


  15. dixie blood says:

    From the article above:

    “House Republicans today introduced their alternative energy plan.”

    Both are DOA.


  16. tombaker says:

    you can round-file that bad-boy, fellas

    nobody cares what it says.


  17. dbadass says:

    Findings

    1. Projected climate change poses a serious threat to America’s national security.

    2. Climate change acts increases the potential instability in some of the most volatile regions of the world.

    3. Projected climate change will boost tensions even in stable regions.

    4. Climate change, national security and energy dependence are a related set of global challenges.

    Recommendations

    1. Climate change should be integrated into national security and national defense strategies.

    2. The United States should vow to help stabilize climate changes at levels that will avoid significant disruption to global security and stability.

    3. The United States should commit to global partnerships that help less-developed nations better manage climate impacts.

    4. The Department of Defense should speed adoption of improved business processes and innovative technologies that boost U.S. combat power through energy efficiency.

    5. The Pentagon should assess the impact on U.S. military installations worldwide of rising sea levels, extreme weather events, and other possible climate change impacts over the next 30 to 40 years.

    Source: National Security and the Threat of Climate Change


  18. Buckie Boy says:

    How in the world do these cretins get elected?

    Oh, forgot….never mind.

    Fcuk the Republic Fascist Party


  19. CB_Brooklyn says:

    The reality of free energy goes mainstream. On April 19, 2009 CBS’ 60 Minutes broadcasted a segment on Cold Fusion. Not only do they speak optimistically, they also state the Pentagon verified the free energy claims! The MUST SEE CBS video and article are linked below:

    Cold Fusion Is Hot Again
    60 Minutes: Once Considered Junk Science, Cold Fusion Gets A Second Look By Researchers

    Why was this technology suppressed for 20 years? Why does Obama still suppress the technology? See here for answers:

    The 9/11 Truth Movement, Free Energy Suppression, and the Global Elite’s Agenda


  20. ElBruce says:

    So their energy plan includes language that pretty much completely undoes the EPA. Brilliant. I’m sure that’ll work well for them.


  21. Winski says:

    I’m astonished that the MSM is not picking up on stuff like this..Seems all they want to talk about is what Rush and McConnell want to blame on Pelosi and Reid today….whaaa..whaaa…whaaa…All they can do is whine…

    THIS IS IMPORTANT STUFF! Now Inhofe seems to be getting his way on basic legislation even in the House of Reps!!! WHAT CRAP..!!!


  22. hivanh says:

    Anti-scientific, stupid cell anemia seems to be an infectious disease among conservatives. How odd.


  23. dbadass says:

    On a certain level I miss the days when all things climate were sure to bring out flocks of oddballs…


  24. Doc Rock says:

    The elephant should no longer symbolize the Republican Party. The ostrich would seem more appropriate!


  25. Jess Wonderin says:

    I see no problem with the Republican Bill . . . it’s in keeping with a Party that gives a budget with no numbers, and leadership without leaders . . . . a real reflection of just how far from reality the Republican have moved . . .


  26. Tim Vaculik says:

    As a nation we are committing economic SUICIDE if we don’t fully exploit and develop ALL our energy resources, which includes fossil fuels!!!

    Congress needs to pass legislation to reign in the EPA, which has evidently become nothing more than a tool for special interests. This applies to both environmentalists AND big business!

    As a nation we simply must continue to refine our energy policy so that it works for US, not for third world countries that are jealous of our standard of living.


  27. Xisithrus says:

    Okay, forget global warming, there is only X amount of oil and X amount of natural gas. China has cornered 90% of the metals market, things needed for batteries and wires, and are working on weening themselves from fossil fuels.

    One way or the other the US will have to move to renewable energy sooner or later. What ideas do you have in that line of thinking GOP?


  28. Tim Vaculik says:

    dbadass,

    I see you are still worried about “climate change” so what will you say when it becomes painfully evident in the near future that the earth is entering a COOLING period.

    I’m old enough to remember the last climate change hysteria… when the conventional wisdom was that the earth was going to enter a new ice age soon! The government was even talking about taking measures to INCREASE global temperatures!!!

    Don’t you see? These movements come a long throughout history on a pretty regular basis, but their dire predictions NEVER come to pass!


  29. Xisithrus says:

    Tim Vaculik Says:

    As a nation we are committing economic SUICIDE if we don’t fully exploit and develop ALL our energy resources, which includes fossil fuels!!!

    Damn, I agree with Vaculick on this


  30. Tim Vaculik says:

    Xisithrus,

    Well, I’m all for renewable energy, but not when the way it’s proposed would severely impact our economy.


  31. Tim Vaculik says:

    One thing a lot of people fail to realize is the tremendous amounts of energy our economy and standard of living requires!

    Reading this blog at times leads me to believe that some of you don’t have a grasp on the reality of how our economy really works and the absolutely vital role played by dependable, affordable energy!


  32. Tim Vaculik says:

    Like I have said before, solar, wind power and other forms of “clean” energy are great, but they simply cannot meet the energy demands of our economy! And they won’t be able to either.

    It takes significant amounts of high-capacity, base-loaded generation my friends and that means coal, natural gas and nuclear.


  33. Xisithrus says:

    Xisithrus, Well, I’m all for renewable energy, but not when the way it’s proposed would severely impact our economy.

    When the price of gasoline rose above 4 [5 in some places] dollars a gallon it had a negative impact on the economy and its headed back up, almost 3 bucks a gallon in many places.


  34. Tim Vaculik says:

    Xisithrus,

    True. I say drill here and drill a lot! We need to develop the oil resources we have!


  35. Xisithrus says:

    Reading this blog at times leads me to believe that some of you don’t have a grasp on the reality of how our economy really works

    I dont know why you keep saying that, many here have a good grasp on how the economy works. Many of us said we were in a recession while pundits, and the president [Bush] were saying the fundamentals of the economy were strong and denied being in a recession for months.

    I read plenty of financial stuff, TYVM


  36. Xisithrus says:

    I say drill here and drill a lot! We need to develop the oil resources we have!

    From what I gather the oil companies have actually reduced the number of wells…


  37. Xisithrus says:

    June 5, 2009

    U.S. Gulf of Mexico 63 of the 114 mobile offshore drilling rigs in the U.S. Gulf under contract fleet utilization is 55.3 percent.


  38. Xisithrus says:

    June 11 09 Exxon Mobil Corp. Chief Executive Officer Rex Tillerson, who oversees the world’s largest network of oil refineries, last month said that U.S. gasoline demand growth has already peaked and that some refiners will be forced to shut plants in coming years


  39. Xisithrus says:

    Tax breaks for what? Shutting down refineries?


  40. Dave C says:

    Tim Vaculik Says:
    I’m old enough to remember the last climate change hysteria… when the conventional wisdom was that the earth was going to enter a new ice age soon! The government was even talking about taking measures to INCREASE global temperatures!!!

    You remember wrong. It’s a myth that there was ever any support for an ice age by the scientific community. There were very few, vocal people who warned of cooling but it was nothing like the consensus today regarding global warming. But don’t concern yourself with the facts, you go by your faded memories.


  41. DNFP says:

    HELP SAVE THE PLANET.

    KILL THE GOP.


  42. fletc3her says:

    This is the same basic idea as not letting Medicare negotiate drug prices.


  43. fletc3her says:

    I like comment 23 best … and then WHAM the Freepers wake up from their post assassination buzz and start commenting like there’s no tomorrow.


  44. ElBruce says:

    Tim Vaculik Says:

    I see you are still worried about “climate change” so what will you say when it becomes painfully evident in the near future that the earth is entering a COOLING period.

    What, the temperatures are going up now to get a running start in the opposite direction?

    .

    Tim Vaculik Says:

    I’m old enough to remember the last climate change hysteria… when the conventional wisdom was that the earth was going to enter a new ice age soon! The government was even talking about taking measures to INCREASE global temperatures!!!

    I don’t remember this; what I remember from that period was all of the talk about fluorocarbons and the ozone layer.

    But even if so, one thing you have to understand about science is that it changes its mind as it gathers more data. That’s not a weakness. Rather, it’s a strength. We’re vastly more certain about the science today than we were then.

    .

    Tim Vaculik Says:

    Don’t you see? These movements come a long throughout history on a pretty regular basis, but their dire predictions NEVER come to pass!

    I’m guessing you’re also one of those people who sneers at volcano monitoring.

    .

    Tim Vaculik Says:

    Like I have said before, solar, wind power and other forms of “clean” energy are great, but they simply cannot meet the energy demands of our economy! And they won’t be able to either.

    Bush spent eight years talking about how new technologies were going to show up someday and magically fix everything, and in the meantime we should sit on our hands and keep burning as much petroleum as possible. So I guess it’s an improvement in terms of hypocrisy that y’all are now claiming that alternative fuels will never work.

    But you can’t prove a negative, especially where technology is concerned. If we actually try to do it, we can do it. You’re just preaching the politics of failure again. America has given up on that.


  45. EugeneDebs says:

    Tim

    The Ice Age canard is a LIE. I know the rightwing keeps saying it. It is a LIE. There were a couple of articles in magazines that posited the possibility but there was NEVER any scientific consensus or even close to agreement from even a FEW scientists that an Ice Age was happening. So you can keep this lie alive by regurgitating it on command but it makes you look dumb. We do NOT have enough oil in the US to make a significant dent in our huge demand. The ONLY thing ‘reining in’ the EPA will accomplish is make a LOT of profits for oil companies and destroy our ecology. It really is easy for the screechmonkeys to get you to spew out what they tell you to think. I would be embarassed if I were you.


  46. Lunaluz says:

    How special, the pubs can’t see past their greedy little noses. They don’t care what they are leaving future generations(their kids and grandkids)as long as they get money now. Does anyone SERIOUSLY think the oil will last forever? Do we really want to drill in every nook and cranny of this planet for a resource that is finite, or do we want to diversify our enegery sources now and gradually wean ourselves off fossil fuel, sustainable energy is the only way we will survive. WAKE UP people.


  47. Purple State says:

    Here’s what I feel we need to do. There is no magic wand you can wave to solve the energy concerns for the future, so we need to look towards:

    1. Boosting energy efficiency. There were proposals for 90% efficiency at power plants; is this still realistically feasible? More importantly, less consumption of fuel will lead to less pollutants and greenhouse gasses. We need to use as much of the byproducts to our advantage as possible.

    2. Boosting plausible alternative sources. Nuclear power may be an alternative, but we should try to capitalize off of all alternatives, hydroelectric, wind, AND solar.

    3. We must use less fuel and natural resources IN GENERAL. We’re already raking the seas of their contents for our food supply; we won’t have to worry about the “fish” part of the equation in the GOP’s plan if there are none to harm!

    This is not a party-line concern. This is a humanity concern. The GOP should know better than to ignore the earth’s pains for the sake of the almighty dollar!


  48. Tim Vaculik says:

    ElBruce,

    I don’t claim that alternative energy will never work, I’m simply saying it will not be sufficient to replace the massive amounts of base loaded power generation our economy requires. I think there’s no arguyment about that.

    So, I still maintain that it makes no sense to adopt policies that harm the production and extraction of all our carbon-based energy assets!



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