Bill Text: PA HR440 | 2009-2010 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Urging the Congress of the United States to refrain from enacting cap and trade legislation that would negatively impact Americans through the elimination of jobs by increasing the costs of goods and services and instead to enact legislation that encourages states to establish and develop their own renewable energy portfolio standards.

Spectrum: Strong Partisan Bill (Republican 61-4)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2009-08-17 - Referred to ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES AND ENERGY [HR440 Detail]

Download: Pennsylvania-2009-HR440-Introduced.html

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PRINTER'S NO. 2583
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No. 440 Session of2009
INTRODUCED BY CLYMER, BAKER, BARRAR, BEAR, BENNINGHOFF, BOYD, BROOKS, CIVERA, COX, CREIGHTON, CUTLER, DELOZIER, DENLINGER, DiGIROLAMO, EVERETT, FAIRCHILD, FARRY, FLECK, GABIG, GABLER, GEORGE, GINGRICH, GODSHALL, GOODMAN, GROVE, HARHAI, HARRIS, HELM, HENNESSEY, HICKERNELL, HUTCHINSON, KAUFFMAN, KRIEGER, MAJOR, MARSHALL, MARSICO, MENSCH, METCALFE, METZGAR, MILLER, MOUL, MUSTIO, O'NEILL, PICKETT, PYLE, QUIGLEY, QUINN, RAPP, READSHAW, REESE, ROAE, ROCK, ROHRER, SAYLOR, SCAVELLO, SCHRODER, SONNEY, STERN, STEVENSON, SWANGER, TALLMAN, TRUE, TURZAI, VULAKOVICH AND WATSON, AUGUST 17, 2009
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES AND ENERGY, AUGUST 17, 2009
A RESOLUTION
Urging the Congress of the United States to refrain from
enacting cap and trade legislation that would negatively
impact Americans through the elimination of jobs by
increasing the costs of goods and services and instead to
enact legislation that encourages states to establish and
develop their own renewable energy portfolio standards.
WHEREAS, The Congress of the United States is currently
debating legislation to implement a cap and trade emissions
trading system that would establish certain levels on greenhouse
gas emissions, require entities that emit greenhouse gases to
purchase government credits to offset emissions and allow the
entities to trade or sell the credits; and
WHEREAS, Companies that are required to participate in the
cap and trade program will ultimately pass the cost of
participation in the program on to consumers; and
WHEREAS, The Congressional Budget Office estimates that price
increases resulting from a 15% reduction in greenhouse gas
emissions would cost the average household between 1.7% to 3.3%
of its after-tax income every year, with households in the
bottom fifth of the income scale losing the largest share of
income; and
WHEREAS, The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and other states
use a significant amount of coal to produce electricity; and
WHEREAS, Specifically in the United States, more than 50% of
the electricity produced is generated by coal, with Pennsylvania
receiving approximately 56% of its electricity from coal; and
WHEREAS, A cap and trade program will result in significant
increases in energy costs for all consumers because the cost to
produce electricity from coal will be markedly higher; and
WHEREAS, These increased energy costs will disproportionately
impact states that are more reliant on coal, such as the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; and
WHEREAS, The Congressional Budget Office has acknowledged
that these increases in energy costs will effectively act as a
regressive tax affecting every household in the nation, with a
disproportionate effect on lower income families; and
WHEREAS, The cap and trade program will cause the loss of
thousands of jobs and will not result in the overall global
decrease of greenhouse gas emissions because many industries
that emit greenhouse gas will merely relocate to countries with
less stringent standards; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania urge the Congress of the United
States to refrain from enacting cap and trade legislation that
would negatively impact Americans through the elimination of
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jobs by increasing the costs of goods and services and instead
to enact legislation that encourages states to establish and
develop their own varied energy portfolio that would include a
mix of energy sources including oil, coal and natural gas; and
be it further
RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to
the President of the United States, to the presiding officers of
each chamber of Congress and to each member of Congress from
Pennsylvania.
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