Gushing Energy Reform Proposals in the Wake of the BP Oil Spill

Dana GattusoWith the devastating BP oil spill taking center stage, watch as cap & trade enthusiasts shift their focus away from global warming as the reason to regulate CO2 to the dire need to “wean ourselves from our addiction to oil.”  The alarmists know, in the aftermath of IPCC-gate and Climategate, they are on thin ice whenever they refer to the “settled” science on climate change.
Increasingly, we are discovering from reputable scientists just how great the unknowns surrounding every aspect of global warming are. Just yesterday, the renowned German climatologist Mojib Latif — a lead author of the IPCC report — told 2,000 scientists at the polar science conference in Norway that it is uncertain overall reductions in sea ice is long-term. He also said it was not clear “if it is anthropogenic or because of the changes in ocean currents.”
With dimming prospects of winning the public on the science of global warming, proponents of CO2 regulations are exploiting the unfortunate oil spill to argue for drastic measures (christened the “spill bill”) to reduce oil consumption and propel renewable fuels.
Yet even Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid may suspect public fury over the oil mess does not translate into votes for cap & trade. According to one of his top aides, Reid is considering removing cap & trade from the energy bill headed for the Senate floor. (If he follows through with this plan, watch for some entertaining pre-July 4th fireworks between him and Nancy Pelosi over the next few weeks as the House Speaker remains steadfast on keeping cap & trade in energy legislation.
With the latest jobs numbers showing the Administration stimulus plan’s continued failure to improve unemployment, cap and trade legislation that even the Congressional Budget Office says will destroy jobs is the wrong choice.
But don’t let Sen. Reid’s appearance of possible good judgment fool you. He still intends to grease the BP spill as a reason to push an energy bill loaded with mandates on renewable energy and regulations on oil production. And if he does pull cap & trade for now, he has indicated he will put it back in as an amendment to the energy bill next month.
In the meantime, Sen. Lugar too is jumping on the BP oil band wagon, introducing his very own energy bill this afternoon. Watch for buzz words “practical” and “efficient” as he attempts to push American consumers further into costly, impractical, and inefficient renewable fuels.

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