"Cap-and-trade is Dead As A Doornail" In Washington State; Legislators Fear Negative Economic Impact

Gov. Chris Gregoire's attempt to push Washington to the forefront of climate-change regulation appears mortally wounded in the state Legislature by fears it could hurt the economy.

"Cap and trade" programs have killed jobs in California and the European Union.

The CBO estimates that "cap and trade" generally decreases revenue to the Federal Government, leading to an increased deficit.

Obama's "cap and trade" energy plan may cost over $1 trillion and up to 4 million jobs.

Cap and trade bills are nothing short of a government re-engineering of the American economy. With its aggressive targets to reduce emissions from fossil fuel use, it would put the nation on a path of serious economic harm not justified by any benefits.

Not to mention, science has yet to show that "cap and trade" will actually do anything for so-called "climate change".

From The Seattle Times:

Gov. Chris Gregoire's attempt to push Washington to the forefront of climate-change regulation appears dead — mortally wounded in the state Legislature by fears it could hurt the economy and be vulnerable to rip-offs.

Both the state House and Senate have balked at adopting the so-called "cap-and-trade" system that would have forced industries to cut greenhouse-gas emissions to fall below a cap or buy extra permits in something resembling a stock market.

While a climate-change bill passed in the Senate and is headed for the House, it bears little resemblance to the comprehensive legislation Gregoire unveiled at a January news conference.

Gone is the mandatory program regulating pollution from big factories, electric utilities and fuel such as gasoline. In its place, state agencies are supposed to come back to the 2011 Legislature with a menu of approaches for regulating greenhouse gases.

"I think it's safe to say that we will not be implementing, this year, a cap-and-trade program," said Rep. Dave Upthegrove, D-Des Moines, the legislation's prime sponsor in the House. "I couldn't even get the trading part out of my own committee."

It marks a win for major Washington businesses and a setback for environmentalists and Gregoire, who had made the legislation a top environmental priority. It's also the clearest sign that, amid a crumbling economy, environmentalists face a tougher audience in the Legislature this year.

"Our goal is to get out alive," said Clifford Traisman, a lobbyist for the Washington Environmental Council.

Environmentalists also are trying to fight off changes to a 2007 voter-approved initiative requiring utilities to invest in new renewable energy.

A push to encourage high-density development around transit centers has failed to pass the House or Senate. A move to tax oil to pay for better stormwater protection is still uncertain.

When it comes to climate change, "absent the governor pulling a rabbit out of the hat, cap-and-trade is dead as a doornail," Traisman said.

Energy costs will rise, but the radical environmental left will be appeased by Dear Leader.

The Obama Administration may get away with all of this, without much real scrutiny, because of those blinded by the media and ObamaMania.

Thanks, in advance, for helping to run our country into the ground you ignorant Liberals.

The grand larceny and dishonesty in all of this nonsense is that current White House budget director Peter Orszag, misled Congress last fall and is misrepresenting the facts of cap-and-trade. Orszag was director of the Congressional Budget Office when its report on cap-and-trade was released. The report proves how consumer energy costs will rise, jobs will be lost and the Federal Deficit will grow.