I've Really Gotta Stop Blogging About Climate Change Policy Today But…

I just got a nifty press release from We Can Lead, a partnership of the Clean Economy Network, Inc., begging Congress and President Barack Obama to stay the course and impose carbon rationing on Americans for their own good. Headlined, "Over 80 U.S. Companies Call on President Obama & Congress to Enact Comprehensive Climate and Energy Legislation," the press release cites an open letter to the president and Congress that reads in part:

Today, the United States is falling behind in the global race to lead the new energy economy. American businesses recognize this challenge and have already begun to respond and innovate. We are developing new technologies, launching new companies, and introducing new business models that drive economic growth,
create new jobs and decrease our carbon footprint. However, today's uncertainty surrounding energy and climate regulation is hindering the large-scale actions that American businesses are poised to make.

We need strong policies and clear market signals that support the transition to a low-carbon economy and reward companies that innovate. With certainty, clear rules of the road, and a level playing field, US businesses will deploy capital, plan, build, innovate and compete successfully in the global marketplace.

Now who might have signed the letter? Hmmm. Just from the last column:

Julia Curtis, Director of Business Strategy and Government Relations, Solar Energy Solutions Group, Sharp Electronics Corporation; Len Shepard, CEO, Sky WindPower; Jonathan Wolfson, CEO, Solazyme; Sam Miller, President, Solstice Architecture; Scott Clark, Chief Strategy Officer, SolTherm Energy; Sunil Paul, Founder, Spring Ventures; Gary Hirschberg, CEO, Stonyfield Farm; Pat Coxon, President, SunWind Power Systems; David Bolt, President, Sustainable Future LLC; Silvia Leahu-Aluas, Owner, Sustainable Manufacturing Consulting; Ken Wilcox, CEO, SVB Financial Group/Silicon Valley Bank; Enrique Salem, President & CEO, Symantec Corporation; Jack Oswald, CEO, Syngest; Rob Williams, President, Take Action Solar & Wind; Erik Blachford, Executive Chairman, TerraPass, Inc.; Rick Brown, PhD, President, TerraVerde Renewable Partners; Jeffrey Swartz, CEO, The Timberland Company; Mathew Standish, President, TuwA; Chandra Brown, President, United Streetcar; David Cush, CEO, Virgin America; and Bill Davis, President & CEO, ze-gen

Every American has a right to petition their government, but I want to note that most of the business leaders who signed the letter have a "special interest" in having carbon rationed.

Comments

[Chad the Mad]

Wait! Wait!

These are corporations! Evil bastards that want to destroy our precious democracy!

They must not be allowed to speak! We need a constitutional amendment!

Oops... sorry... I was mistaken, these are the guys that agree with me.

[Kyle Jordan]

That pic is giving me the fear.

[Naga Sadow]

Every American has a right to petition their government, but I want to note that most of the business leaders who signed the letter have a "special interest" in having carbon rationed.

That's ridiculous, Ron. You and your "facts", mis-ter scientist.

[Suki]

NAGA! He isn't a Scientist, he is writer of things related to science. Must you be reminded of his daily?

[Al Gore]

Works for me, as long as he's saying The Gospel Truth.

[DJF]

Which just shows that you should not equate corporations with the free market.

[Jason]

What's that saying, it's easier to use regulation for competition than to improve your product?

[wylie]

We need strong policies and clear market signals that support the transition to a low-carbon economy and reward companies that innovate.

How does that equate to "carbon rations". I must not understand the doublespeak. Oh, sorry, i get it now:

Favoritism = Rewards. I can be so dense sometimes.

Today, the United States is falling behind in the global race to lead the new energy economy. American businesses recognize this challenge and have already begun to respond and innovate.

Ummm, so what's the problem exactly? Is it not fast enough for the enviros? Dammit PEOPLE! BUY SOLAR PANELS NOW! If i don't see panels on everyones' roofs tomorrow, you're ALL GROUNDED!!!!

Cause theres no sense in waiting a few more years for thin-film solar roofing materials to take over the residential PV market. BUY HEAVY, EXPENSIVE, SILICON MODULES. Or do you just hate America?

[OMG]

I wonder if Congress could pass a law mandating that you buy a solar panel, because, you know, if you don't then it will have an effect on the price of gas and by extension interstate commerce.

[Johnny Longtorso]

A Little Company Praised by President Obama

Thursday, on my FBN show, I talked about "crony capitalism." That is when Big Business uses the clout of Big Government to get special privileges or protect themselves from the raw competition of the free market. My first example is the story of a little window manufacturer, Serious Materials:...

[Company Spokeswoman]

she called to say that my story is "full of lies." But she wouldn't say what those lies are.

What, dignify your story with a response?!

[Nancy Pelosi]

God help me, but ...

Are you Serious?

[R. U. Sirius]

No... I am.

[kelly jones]

This story is completely false actually. The company received ZERO dollars from the feds. They apparently did supply the facts and the reporter refused to use them. Crony reporting is what that is.
More facts are here: http://blog.seriousmaterials.com/?p=1007

[P Brooks]

We need strong policies and clear market signals that support the transition to a low-carbon economy and reward companies that innovate. With certainty, clear rules of the road, and a level playing field, US businesses will deploy capital, plan, build, innovate and compete successfully in the global marketplace.

All bases covered.

I'll bet that asshole Immelt's name is on this thing, somewhere.

[Old Mexican]

I just got a nifty press release from We Can Lead, a partnership of the Clean Economy Network, Inc., begging Congress and President Barack Obama to stay the course and impose carbon rationing on Americans for their own good.

Because we all know [wink, wink] that all good things for humans are imposed from above, like agriculture, and roast beef, and concrete foundations, and water pasteurizers, and fried chicken, and overhead cams, and . . .

[wylie]

well....overhead cams kinda are "from above."

But foundations. OldMex, that totally made my day 🙂

[shrike]

As a greedy investor in US natural gas I want carbon caps and trading.

We capped and taxed Sulfer Dioxide in the 90's and oil prices fell anyway (its why we don't buy sour crude here).

Crude/coal addiction is unnecessary and unproductive since we have a 120 year supply of domestic natgas.

But I am a real capitalist - not an armchair libertarian keyboard commando.

[Old Mexican]

As a greedy investor in US natural gas I want carbon caps and trading[...] But I am a real capitalist[.]

You will then love the new capital gains tax increases the Big O and his Ballerina have in store for the likes of you!

[R C Dean]

I believe, shrike, that as someone who wants to profit from government mandates, you are more of a real crony capitalist.

[shrike]

Aren't we all?

Show me a capitalist who doesn't tug on Superman's cape.

[shrike]

Free markets only exist in the small minds of proto-Rand-idealists.

[Old Mexican]

Free markets only exist in the small minds of proto-Rand-idealists.

Did they open a local Kool-Aid shop near your house, Shrike? You certainly took their whole inventory with this one . . .

[Old Mexican]

Every American has a right to petition their government, but I want to note that most of the business leaders who signed the letter have a "special interest" in having carbon rationed.

No!

The Big O sure redefined the meaning of "Crony Capitalism" to new and previously undreamed of proportions!

[brotherben]

I prefer my sheep to look like this thank you very much.

[Nick]

We need strong policies and clear market signals that support the transition to a low-carbon economy and reward companies that innovate.

Uh, douchebags, the market is clear. Make it cheaper and more efficient and we're in.

[?]

The Timberland Company

That's black people's favorite boot company using their own money to unemploy them (and exterminate Africans). Nice.

[wylie]

They also hate trees or something right? So that's double racist.

[John]

If someone ever developed a cheaper energy alternative to fossil fuels, they would be able to buy and sell Paul Allen and Bill Gates out of petty cash. The idea that we need government incentives in order for people to develop new and more efficient forms of energy is abominably stupid.

[shrike]

You are completely naive.

Cheaper and cleaner fuels are here - its the Transmission and Distribution that is holding the market back.

The lobbyists are making sure that this barrier remains in place.

[Pro Libertate]

I've got an engine that I can pour water into.

[John]

And the Russkies and Chinese have never stole and used such technologies for military purposes out of the kindness of their hearts I guess.

[R C Dean]

I can pour water into my engine, too.

Of course, it would never run again.

[Pro Libertate]

Thank you. I thought I'd been too subtle.

[Old Mexican]

Re; Shrike,

Cheaper and cleaner fuels are here - its the Transmission and Distribution that is holding the market back.

And the Ark of the Covenant is being held in a secret government warehouse.

[Chony]

+1 And it is one hell of a source of renewable energy.

[LarryA]

The lobbyists are making sure that this barrier remains in place.

You mean like the lobbyists that won't let us build solar generating arrays in the Mojave Desert, and wind farms along the New England coast?

[shrike]

yeah - there is no shortage of lobbyists.

The Eco kind or the Proto-Oil Slick kind.

They all lobby.

[Pro Libertate]

Is there such a thing as a lobbyist for lobbies? I mean the room--the lobby.

[The More You Know]

Yeah, there are: hotel lobbyists.

[Reed]

Considering the millions of people employed or invested in the fossil fuels business, you can be sure they won't be letting go without a tooth and claw fight.

[OMG]

You mean the same lobbyists that are stopping fractional gas mining in Penn and NY, where there's is enough NG to run the country for the next hundred years? Oh, yeh, those are environmentalists, not big oil

[Johnny Longtorso]

The cattle think in the short term, but our Olympian Progressive Gods, being immortal, think in the long term, hence the need to make us invest in "alternative energy".

[Old Mexican]

We need strong policies and clear market signals that support the transition to a low-carbon economy and reward companies that innovate. With certainty, clear rules of the road, and a level playing field, US businesses will deploy capital, plan, build, innovate and compete successfully in the global marketplace.

Hobbling the economy to help the economy! That's our motto!

[Didn't Dubya say something equally dumb and stupid, like "I've abandoned free-market principles to save the free-market"?]

[John]

The economy has to be destroyed in order to save it.

[heller]

War is Peace

[Mike M.]

...begging Congress and President Barack Obama to stay the course and impose carbon rationing on Americans for their own good.

Good luck with that in our new political climate, buddies and buddettes!

[Hank]

I hate that I have to post this, but the facts are the facts. It turns out that the hockey stick is very, very real. It's worse than anyone thought! Enjoy the stick, AGWs:

Hockey Stick

[Hank]

Hockey Stick

[Hank]

Disregard first Hockey Stick. I lack blogger skilz.

[Ron L]

Somehow, I'll bet Obama, Pelosi and Reid are entirely too busy answering calls from Dem congress-critters who *really* like a seat at the public trough to spend a lot of time on *this* press-release.
Probably one of those things on the short list for 'Really Bad Timing Award, 2010".
Haaa, ha, ha, hooooooo! Isn't it great!?

[Christ on a Cracker]

Looks like "Big Wind" learning from "Big Oil".

[Let'er Rip!]

Big Wind? I tell you, the punchlines are just writing themselves here...

[Lost_In_Translation]

Rent seeking is the most sincere form of flattery.

[Michael Duvinak]

And they say the skeptics have been bought off by Big Oil. I think Big Green has deeper pockets.

[Paul]

"Over 80 U.S. Companies Call on President Obama & Congress to Enact Comprehensive Climate and Energy Legislation,"

Let me guess, Enron is still one of them.

[IceTrey]

Clean energy tech already exists. Thorium powered nuclear energy, google it.

[Mathew Standish]

I'm a little slow on uptake, I'll admit. But, didn't our government (in other words, didn't we AMERICANS) subsidize the oil companies for our energy needs back in the day? Call it national security or wrap it in another bow. So, why is is so hard to conceive that we should have started this process back in the 70's for our national security? Not to mention, our economic place in the world market. The release of CO2 is damaging our planet, whether you believe in global warming or not. How can solutions to mitigate that damage be limited to liberals, socialists or greedy green energy companies?