/PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Senate can increase the number of Americans with health insurance by tens of millions -- at zero cost to taxpayers -- by rejecting cap-and-trade legislation passed by the U.S. House, according to an analysis just released by The National Center for Public Policy Research.
In June, the House of Representatives approved the American Clean Energy and Security Act, commonly referred to as the Waxman-Markey bill, which seeks to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by more than 80 percent by 2050.
The National Center for Public Policy Research contends Waxman-Markey would increase energy prices, slow the economy and result in higher unemployment. This, in turn, the group says, would increase the number of uninsured.
"For every one percentage point increase in unemployment, 1.1 million Americans lose their health insurance coverage," said David A. Ridenour, Vice President of The National Center for Public Policy Research. "With the Waxman-Markey legislation projected to cost an average of 1.15 million jobs annually between 2012 and 2030, this could translate into tens of millions of Americans losing their health insurance coverage. The best health care reform is doing nothing at all - at least on cap-and-trade."
Loss of health insurance coverage is only one of the negative health consequences that would result from a Waxman-Markey-style bill, according to Ridenour.
"The stress and loss of self-esteem that accompanies job loss can lead to unhealthy lifestyles, including substance abuse and poor eating habits," said Ridenour. "The unemployed are more likely to be diagnosed for hypertension, heart disease, diabetes and stroke, and because discretionary income drops with the loss of a job, so too do routine screenings that might prevent late-stage diseases."
Ridenour cites a study by Kate Strully of the State University of New York at Albany showing that involuntarily unemployed factory workers are 83 percent more likely to develop a new health problem than those who keep their job.
Ridenour's analysis is available at http://www.nationalcenter.org/NPA577.html.
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Showing posts with label cap and trade bill. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cap and trade bill. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Congress' ACES Bill Will Trump Housing Affordability
/PRNewswire/ -- Housing affordability is a key reason why eight of every 10 jobs created in the U.S. last year were in Texas.
"Given this statistic, it's shocking that Congress' American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES) very well threatens to undermine this advantage for a housing sector that constitutes more than 12 percent of the state's economy," says Phil Crone, director of government affairs and green building programs for the Home Builders Association of Greater Dallas (HBA).
"Narrowly passed by the House last week, ACES is intended to place most of the American economy on a carbon-cap-and-trade system," says Crone. "The legislation also enables the U.S. to sign a follow-up agreement to the Kyoto Treaty when the United Nations Climate Change Conference meets in December in Copenhagen, Denmark."
Buried within the 1200-plus pages of ACES are provisions imposing federal mandates requiring each state to make its energy code for new buildings 30 percent more efficient than current levels, perhaps as soon as next year. By 2014, each new building must be 50 percent more efficient than current code.
"On its face these requirements probably sound good to many people, but some prospective is needed," says Crone. "While buildings often are estimated to account for as much as 40 percent of the nation's greenhouse gas emissions, new homes built in the last 10 years only account for 2.5 percent. Half of that electricity is lost in the grid and never makes it to the home."
He adds, "Clearly, our older inefficient housing stock is where wise environmental policy should focus. The only way to encourage upgrades on these homes is through market incentives such as tax credits."
Crone says Congress appears to favor a policy adding thousands of dollars to the cost of a new home with projected decades needed to offset the utility savings. "Even a modest estimate of a $4,000 cost increase would make a new home unobtainable for more than 100,000 Texas households, according to the Texas A&M Real Estate Center," he says.
Most builders believe ACES trumps years of environmental progression in the home building industry, Crone says. "The most recent EPA numbers show that Texas builders produce more Energy Star-certified homes than the next six leading states combined. In 2007 alone, these homes saved Texans more than $18 million on utility bills with emissions savings equal to taking 20,000 vehicles off the road."
"Certainly, green has been popular with consumers for several years, but when the rubber meets the road in the policy arena, we must be sensible, especially in a very weak economy," said HBA President and local home builder Tim Jackson. "Federal mandates crippling a vital part of the Texas economy with environmental gains measured in fractions of a percent are not the answer."
If ACES becomes law, HBA officials estimate a family of four will see a $24,000 increase in their direct energy costs between the years 2012 and 2035. "For someone my age, that number represents two years of college tuition I hoped I would have been able to save for my children," said Crone.
"As Congress deals out ACES, more than 500,000 Texans employed in the housing industry will brace themselves for the regulatory hand that will potentially push them into an uncertain abyss and trump any hopes for Texas's continued prosperity."
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"Given this statistic, it's shocking that Congress' American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES) very well threatens to undermine this advantage for a housing sector that constitutes more than 12 percent of the state's economy," says Phil Crone, director of government affairs and green building programs for the Home Builders Association of Greater Dallas (HBA).
"Narrowly passed by the House last week, ACES is intended to place most of the American economy on a carbon-cap-and-trade system," says Crone. "The legislation also enables the U.S. to sign a follow-up agreement to the Kyoto Treaty when the United Nations Climate Change Conference meets in December in Copenhagen, Denmark."
Buried within the 1200-plus pages of ACES are provisions imposing federal mandates requiring each state to make its energy code for new buildings 30 percent more efficient than current levels, perhaps as soon as next year. By 2014, each new building must be 50 percent more efficient than current code.
"On its face these requirements probably sound good to many people, but some prospective is needed," says Crone. "While buildings often are estimated to account for as much as 40 percent of the nation's greenhouse gas emissions, new homes built in the last 10 years only account for 2.5 percent. Half of that electricity is lost in the grid and never makes it to the home."
He adds, "Clearly, our older inefficient housing stock is where wise environmental policy should focus. The only way to encourage upgrades on these homes is through market incentives such as tax credits."
Crone says Congress appears to favor a policy adding thousands of dollars to the cost of a new home with projected decades needed to offset the utility savings. "Even a modest estimate of a $4,000 cost increase would make a new home unobtainable for more than 100,000 Texas households, according to the Texas A&M Real Estate Center," he says.
Most builders believe ACES trumps years of environmental progression in the home building industry, Crone says. "The most recent EPA numbers show that Texas builders produce more Energy Star-certified homes than the next six leading states combined. In 2007 alone, these homes saved Texans more than $18 million on utility bills with emissions savings equal to taking 20,000 vehicles off the road."
"Certainly, green has been popular with consumers for several years, but when the rubber meets the road in the policy arena, we must be sensible, especially in a very weak economy," said HBA President and local home builder Tim Jackson. "Federal mandates crippling a vital part of the Texas economy with environmental gains measured in fractions of a percent are not the answer."
If ACES becomes law, HBA officials estimate a family of four will see a $24,000 increase in their direct energy costs between the years 2012 and 2035. "For someone my age, that number represents two years of college tuition I hoped I would have been able to save for my children," said Crone.
"As Congress deals out ACES, more than 500,000 Texans employed in the housing industry will brace themselves for the regulatory hand that will potentially push them into an uncertain abyss and trump any hopes for Texas's continued prosperity."
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Thursday, June 25, 2009
76% of African-Americans Want Delay on Climate Legislation Until Economy Recovers
TT Note: One would think that Congress should realize the economy is in more dire need of help. But then, how many members of Congress will be helped in their own pocketbooks by the climate change bill?
PRNewswire/ -- 76% of African-Americans want Congress to make economic recovery, not climate change, its top priority, says a newly released nationwide poll of African-Americans conducted by the National Center for Public Policy Research.
The poll's release comes as the U.S. House of Representatives is planning a Friday vote on the Waxman-Markey cap-and-trade climate bill. The legislation, if adopted, is expected to reduce aggregate GDP by $7.4 trillion in an effort to reduce global warming.
The survey of 800 African-Americans, 80% Democrats and 4% Republicans, found significant concern that government action on climate change would have a harmful and disproportionately negative impact on the African-American community.
Among the key findings:
* 38% believe job losses from climate change legislation would be felt most strongly in the black community. 7% believe job losses would fall most on Hispanics and 2% on whites;
* 56% believe Washington policymakers have failed to adequately consider economic and quality of life concerns of the black community when addressing climate issues;
* 52% of respondents don't want to pay more for gasoline or electricity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 73% are unwilling to pay more than 50 cents more for a gallon of gas; 76% are unwilling to pay more than $50 more per year for electricity;
* Black Americans are virtually deadlocked on plans to reduce emissions if it would increase prices and unemployment. 44% opposed reductions under these circumstances, 45% supported them.
* 76% want Congress to make economic recovery the top priority.
"An overwhelming majority African-Americans want Congress to fix the economy before turning its attention to climate change," said David Ridenour, vice president of The National Center for Public Policy Research, who directs the group's Center for Public Opinion Policy Center, which issued the poll.
"Significantly," Ridenour continued, "not only were 80 percent of the respondents self-identified Democrats, but 67 percent self-identified as 'strong Democrats.' As African-Americans are a core constituency of the party, if the Congressional leadership ignores this, it does so at its own peril."
The survey was conducted by Wilson Research Strategies and has a margin of error of +/- 3.4%. It can be viewed at: http://www.nationalcenter.org/BlackOpinion.html .
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PRNewswire/ -- 76% of African-Americans want Congress to make economic recovery, not climate change, its top priority, says a newly released nationwide poll of African-Americans conducted by the National Center for Public Policy Research.
The poll's release comes as the U.S. House of Representatives is planning a Friday vote on the Waxman-Markey cap-and-trade climate bill. The legislation, if adopted, is expected to reduce aggregate GDP by $7.4 trillion in an effort to reduce global warming.
The survey of 800 African-Americans, 80% Democrats and 4% Republicans, found significant concern that government action on climate change would have a harmful and disproportionately negative impact on the African-American community.
Among the key findings:
* 38% believe job losses from climate change legislation would be felt most strongly in the black community. 7% believe job losses would fall most on Hispanics and 2% on whites;
* 56% believe Washington policymakers have failed to adequately consider economic and quality of life concerns of the black community when addressing climate issues;
* 52% of respondents don't want to pay more for gasoline or electricity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 73% are unwilling to pay more than 50 cents more for a gallon of gas; 76% are unwilling to pay more than $50 more per year for electricity;
* Black Americans are virtually deadlocked on plans to reduce emissions if it would increase prices and unemployment. 44% opposed reductions under these circumstances, 45% supported them.
* 76% want Congress to make economic recovery the top priority.
"An overwhelming majority African-Americans want Congress to fix the economy before turning its attention to climate change," said David Ridenour, vice president of The National Center for Public Policy Research, who directs the group's Center for Public Opinion Policy Center, which issued the poll.
"Significantly," Ridenour continued, "not only were 80 percent of the respondents self-identified Democrats, but 67 percent self-identified as 'strong Democrats.' As African-Americans are a core constituency of the party, if the Congressional leadership ignores this, it does so at its own peril."
The survey was conducted by Wilson Research Strategies and has a margin of error of +/- 3.4%. It can be viewed at: http://www.nationalcenter.org/BlackOpinion.html .
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