Biggest compromise carbon plan delayed until 2012

| Sourced From Examiner.com |

Biggest compromise carbon plan delayed until 2012. In the biggest set back fro the carbon cap and trade bill passed on the floor of the House Friday is the delay of implementation until 2012. EPA could have a program up and running in the next 18 months by mid-2010. Of course, Obama and the House know 2010 is the mid-term Congressional elections and don’t want to lose votes over increased cost to households, business and the economy right before a key test of public sentiment toward Obama’s and the Democratic Congress’ policies in the first two years of Obama’s reign. In addition, the CERCLA or Superfund program which expired early in the Clinton White House won’t even come up for re-authorization until late 2010 or 2011.

Obama is no friend of the environment, as neither was Bill Clinton or Al Gore. These are crafty politicians who put lobbyists and compromise over the environment and principal. Waxman/Markey climate change compromises with moderate Democrats and moderate Republicans in key manufacturing, coal and oil states effectively blunt any real impact from carbon cap and trade until 2035-2040. Reduction limits were lowered, dubious paper offsets for things like non-quantifiable prevention of deforestation and allowing offsets for re-forestation are key weaknesses of the bill.

The Senate should vote it down as too weak. In addition, it looks like health care reform is already dead in the water. The carbon cap and trade program cites it 17% reduction in carbon equivalent emissions or greenhouse gases by 2020 soley from energy efficiency, not petroleum displacement. Another major flaw is that 85% of the carbon credits or tradeable allowances will be given away until 2021.

The Waxman/Markey bill probably known by some cute acronym thought up by DC talking heads will be a complete failure in creating a non-imported petroleum economy by 2050. Very little funding will go to solar and wind power, instead being shared by clean coal, clean diesel, corn based ethanol (a huge mistake) and other bogus “Clean” but petroleum based fuel modifications. The cash for clunkers $1 billion dollar program for the purchase of a new vehicle getting marginally better fuel economy is a direct give me to Detroit and the closing auto dealerships with minimal fuel displacement and zero air quality and carbon benefit.

Obama is about change? I hardly think so. He has sacrificed his campaign goals in favor of delay and compromise, as witnessed in his action on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”. What we are seeing is politics as usual inside the Beltway. The major success of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 was its strict time limits for planning and implementation of major programs and strict penalties for non-compliance. The Clean Air Act reduced cancer rates widely nationwide. Why delay until 2012? That’s two Congressional sessions away during a Presidential election year. Obama is likely a one term President as he erodes his base Democratic core. A Republican President in 2013 is likely to repeal a carbon cap and trade program, especially if the economy does not quickly recover. The key question for the Democrats in next two election cycles is can they keep their Moderate expansion of the party in 2008 while losing the Democratic core. Unlikely. I look for the Republicans to make key gains in the House and Senate in 2010 as jobs will have failed to recover, the economy remains stagnant, health care and climate change go down to defeat, as they both should. Better no plan then a bad plan that does not do anything or work and only hurts the economy more.