ATR Opposes the Renewable Electricity Standards in Waxman-Markey

From Brian M Johnson on Thursday, June 25, 2009 6:11 PM

ATR Strongly Urges All Members of Congress to Oppose Renewable Electricity Standard

ATR WILL DOUBLE RATE WAXMAN-MARKEY

Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) urges all members of Congress to oppose the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RES) provision in H.R. 2545, the ‘American Clean Energy and Security Act’, also known as the Waxman-Markey plan. This is a energy tax on every single American family.

This legislation proposes that every utility in each state have 25% of its electricity come from a narrowly defined list of renewable energy sources by 2025. Instead, states should be able to call for opt-ins, or be able to define what is renewable for them.

•    States that cannot meet with RES will be face monetary penalties from the federal government, which will be passed along onto consumers in the form of higher fees and taxes.
•    Fourteen states are currently receiving less than one percent of their electricity from “renewable” sources.
•    The bill calls for the 2050 CO2 emissions rate to be 83 percent lower than the 2005 emissions rate. However, 36 states produce their energy using over 80 percent carbon-based fuels.
•    The majority of American families will see at least a $150 increase (or roughly 10%) in their annual energy bill. Families residing in southeastern states will see the largest increases.
•    Since the bill does not allow states to define what is “renewable” in their region, it inaccurately assumes that Maine has the same resources available as California.
•    A recent poll found that 58 percent of Americans said they were unwilling to pay additional money for electricity to combat climate change.
•    24 states, plus District of Columbia, have already imposed their own RES. Together these states account for more than half of the electricity sales in the United States.
•    Five other states, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, and Vermont, have nonbinding goals for adoption of renewable energy instead of an RES.

Make no mistake; this is nothing more than a massive tax increase and rate increase on every single American family. Vote “NO” on H.R. 2454, Waxman-Markey & Renewable Electricity Standard

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