Senators John Kerry and Barbara Boxer have yet again released a new version of their cap-and-trade energy tax bill. Since the last version was released, the bill has grown by another 102 pages and now tips the scales at 923 pages.
Unlike previous versions, this one spells out which groups are politically-favored enough to receive preferential treatment in the form of free carbon dioxide emissions allowances. This draft also includes “Increased Investments in Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.” In other words, increased subsidies for politically-favored forms of energy. The premise of this section of the bill seems to be that the American people need the federal government to tell them how to use energy cost-effectively.
Like Waxman-Markey, this bill is shaping up to be incredibly costly and incredibly intrusive into all aspects our energy use.
