Baron Hill Backs National Energy Tax

May 21, 2009

FYI, a version of the release below went out to the following districts: Rick Boucher (VA-09); Bruce Braley (IA-01); G.K. Butterfield (NC-01); Bart Gordon (TN-06); Baron Hill (IN-09); Jerry McNerney (CA-11); Chris Murphy (CT-05); Zack Space (OH-18) and Bart Stupak (MI-01).
Baron Hill Backs National Energy Tax

Votes in Favor of Dems’ Climate Bill Despite Negative Implications for American Jobs

Washington- After a week’s worth of deliberations, Rep. Baron Hill (D-IN) failed to find the courage to side with Indiana families and protect their jobs from the devastating effects of the National Energy Tax. 

“Baron Hill turned a blind eye to the needs of Indiana families who will suffer under this devastating National Energy Tax,” said NRCC Communications Director Ken Spain.  “Hill’s reckless support for this job-killing legislation will haunt him all the way to the unemployment line.”

Baron Hill voted alongside his Democrat leaders on the Energy and Commerce Committee today to move forward with a climate bill that will impose a burdensome National Energy Tax in the midst of a struggling economy and result in staggering job losses. 

If this climate bill were to become law, energy rates could skyrocket, U.S. industries could suffer and Americans could face even greater unemployment rates.

President Obama Even Admitted That Under This Bill, Utility Rates Would “Skyrocket”:
“Under my plan of a cap and trade system electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket … that will cost money.  They will pass that money on to consumers …”
(President Barack Obama, Meeting with the Editorial Board at the San Francisco Chronicle, January, 2008)

The National Energy Tax will have a devastating effect on the economy:

  • Under cap and trade 1,105,000 jobs could be lost
  • Peak-year unemployment losses could reach 2.5 million
  • Gasoline prices would skyrocket by 74 percent
  • Natural gas prices would rise by 55 percent
  • Electricity rates would spike by 90 percent
  • The annual energy bill for an average family would increase by $1,500
  • The federal debt would increase by 26 percent, or $29,150 additional federal debt per person
  • Gross Domestic Product losses could hit $9.6 trillion

(William W. Beach, David Kreutzer, Ph.D., Karen Campbell, Ph.D. and Ben Lieberman, Heritage Foundation WebMemo #2450, “Son of Waxman-Markey: More Politics Makes for a More Costly Bill,” May 18, 2009)


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