Posted by tx on July 9, 2009 under Home Page, Principles and Values | 
Railroad Commissioner warns Washington of economic dangers of proposed legislation
AUSTIN, TEXAS– Texas Railroad Commissioner Elizabeth Ames Jones proposed and passed a Position Letter at the Railroad Commission Conference opposing the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, also known as the Cap and Trade bill. The letter was supported and signed by the other two Commissioners.
“It is important that we as a Commission have a unified position on this crucial issue,” said Commissioner Jones. “Texas, which is the leading energy producing state in the nation, stands to be adversely effected by this legislation. Not only will the energy industry be negatively effected, but also Texans will see their energy bills increase dramatically. A new report by the Texas Comptroller shows that if the Cap and Trade legislation were in effect today, Texans would be spending an additional $1100 on goods and services next year.”
The Cap and Trade legislation passed the U.S. House of Representatives last week and now will be taken up by the U.S. Senate. The letter, which can be found here, will be sent to Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson and Senator John Cornyn.
“Senators Hutchison and Cornyn care very much about the people of Texas and have both indicated they will oppose the measure in the Senate,” said Jones. “However, I believe it is critical for the nation’s top state energy regulatory body to be on record opposing this legislation.”
Elizabeth Ames Jones was elected three times to the Texas House of Representatives before her appointment in 2005 to the Texas Railroad Commission. In November 2006, she was elected to serve a six-year term. She served as Chairman from 2005-2007 and is a recognized leader on energy policy and coastal issues. She serves on the Coastal Coordination Council, the Coastal Land Advisory Board, and is a member of the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission.
THESE ARE THE TEXAS REPRESENTATIVES WHOSE VOTES HELPED PASSED THE BILL THAT WILL DRIVE THIS COUNTRY INTO A DEPRESSION
IF THESE 5 HAD VOTED “NO”, THE BILL WOULD HAVE FAILED.
SEND THIS LIST TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW.
•Cuellar, Henry, Texas, 28th
•Doggett, Lloyd, Texas, 25th
•Gonzalez, Charlie A., Texas, 20th
•Green, Al, Texas, 9th
•Green, Gene, Texas, 29th
•Hinojosa, Rubén, Texas, 15th
•Jackson Lee, Sheila, Texas, 18th
•Johnson, Eddie Bernice, Texas 30th
•Reyes, Silvestre, Texas, 16th
Posted by tx on July 1, 2009 under Home Page |
The following article was found in “Texas Insider”, an online newletter about Texas politics.
Four Republican Texas Members of Congress today jointly hosted a Texas Energy Summit in Houston to discuss with leading energy experts what the “Cap-and-Trade” National Energy Tax will mean for Texas jobs and Texas families.
The “Cap-and-Trade” National Energy Tax will create an artificial market for greenhouse gas emissions, requiring industries to pay for the right to produce. As the nation’s top energy producer, Texas will be most affected by cap-and-trade through higher energy costs to consumers and significant job loss, especially in energy sectors. The House of Representatives passed the National Energy Tax on Friday, June 26.
“Last week Republicans fought hard to prevent the utter destruction of our economy. Despite the Administration’s repeated promises of transparency, this bill was rushed through before the public or even most members of Congress had time to read it. It now threatens to lock the U.S. into an era of economic stagnation and global decline that will kill American industry and send jobs overseas. And what do we get for all that money and suffering? EPA scientists say it may only drop the average global temperature by less than 1 degree Fahrenheit,” said Congressman Joe Barton. “Every member at this Summit is concerned about how prices are impacting our constituents and Texas economy. But we know we are not helpless – we need to produce more American energy for our families and businesses.”
Held at the University of Houston Clear Lake, the Texas Energy Summit featured House Energy & Commerce Committee Ranking Member Joe Barton (TX-06), Congressman John Culberson (TX-07), Congressman Pete Olson (TX-22) and Congressman Pete Sessions (TX-32).
The Texas Energy Summit expert panelists included Victor G. Carrillo, Chairman of Texas Railroad Commission; Robert Bradley, CEO of Institute for Energy Research; Pat French, Senior Vice President or Texas Alliance for Energy Producers; and Bob Kahn, President of Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT).
“The facts are clear: Nancy Pelosi’s National Energy Tax will kill Texas jobs, raise prices on hardworking families, and do little to clean up our environment,” stated Congressman Sessions. “Congress’ top priority should be creating jobs and growing our economy by advancing American-made energy production and promoting cleaner, more energy-efficient resources and technologies. Instead, Democrats’ answer to the worst recession in decades is a National Energy Tax that will eliminate over 4,000 jobs in my district. This is not the change Texans deserve.”
Congressman John Culberson said, “… To lift our economy out this recession, Republicans are working to cut spending and to cut taxes on individuals and businesses. We are also working to open up domestic sources of oil and gas and build new nuclear reactors for the short term, while promoting conservation and investment in alternative energy and new technology for the future.”
Congressman Pete Olson said, “… The National Energy Tax is simply a shell game to funnel billions of taxpayer and industry dollars through government to fund a restrictive energy plan. This plan allows the government to decide which energy jobs stay and which energy jobs go. That is not the role of government and Americans should be outraged. Heritage Foundation analysis of this bill concluded that my district could lose up 5,000 jobs in 2012 alone. That’s a high price to pay for a job killing plan that won’t even reduce carbon emissions.”
From flipping on a light switch to buying a gallon of milk, the cost of cap-and-trade will be passed along to consumers in the form of higher prices for energy and products. ERCOT estimates that federal regulations on greenhouse gas emissions could boost the monthly electricity bill for the average Texas consumer from $27 – $54.1 The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts estimates that cap-and-trade will cost Texas up to 311,600 jobs by 2020 and cost the average Texas family an additional $1,136 on household goods and services over the next year.
In contrast to the National Energy Tax, the Texas members highlighted energy proposals they support that would create new clean energy jobs, expand natural gas and traditional energy production, reduce Washington bureaucracy and frivolous lawsuits over energy production, and provide tax incentives for conservation, efficiency, and new technologies. To learn more, visit Gop energy plan.
