Conservative Blog

The Brookings Institute has released a study that many chambers of commerce and city councils will undoubtedly groan over. It's a list of the cities with the top carbon footprints. Fifteen years ago that might have been seen as a sign of a growing city with a healthy economy. Now it's a big red target for environmentalists and pastors of the church of global warming.

The top ten cities (sorry about this guys) are:

1. Lexington-Fayette, KY
2. Indianapolis, IN
3. Cincinnati-Middletown, OH
4. Toledo, OH
5. Louisville, KY
6. Nashville, TN
7. St. Louis, MO
8. Oklahoma City
9. Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA
10. Knoxville, TN

Currently there are no federal standards regarding carbon emissions, but that day is coming. One component of the Warner-Lieberman Energy Bill is designed to, according to a summary of the bill,

"(Provide) for the distribution of emission allowances, including initially giving allowances to: (1) specified owners and operators of covered facilities; (2) states; (3) load-serving entities that deliver electricity to retail consumers; (4) the Secretary of Agriculture to reduce GHG emissions in the agriculture and forestry sectors; (5) international forest protection activities; and (6) the Emission Allowance Account for covered facilities in the electric power and industrial sectors...Establishes the Climate Change Credit Corporation to auction emission allowances. Provides for the use of auction proceeds, including for a zero- or low-carbon energy technologies program, an advanced coal and sequestration technologies program, incentives for production of fuel from cellulosic biomass, and an advanced technology vehicles manufacturing incentive program."

This is a piece of legislation coming to a vote in early June. As I've said before, the scope and implications of the Warner-Lieberman Energy Bill are staggering, but especially for businesses (I'm sorry, "owners and operators of covered facilities") and for the states, and therefore cities, in which these "covered facilities" operate. Never mind that American manufacturers are already fighting against near impossible odds to remain in the game with their overseas competitors, now we will place a greater burden upon them. Never mind that the economy is already struggling. Never mind that the cost of carbon is already at all time highs. This bill is going to be hammered through. It's the perfect example of Pollyanna legislation dreamed up in a vacuum. No regard to this bill's impact on anything other than the great villain, carbon, has been properly examined. It's a piece of feel-good, global warming nonsense.

To see the report from the Brookings Institute, click here.

If you thought a new energy bill would be aimed at increasing the amount of oil in the market and refining more gasoline as opposed to the opposite, click here.