Biggert Votes Against National Energy Tax: Bill will Destroy American Jobs, Tax American Families

Statement

Biggert Votes Against National Energy Tax: Bill Will Destroy American Jobs, Tax American Families

U.S. Representative Judy Biggert today released the following statement relating to her vote against HR 2454, the Democrats' national energy tax, commonly referred to as Waxman-Markey or "cap and trade:"

"The Waxman-Markey cap and trade bill ignores market principles and puts big government into everything - including our homes. It puts a tax on working families when they can least afford it, in the midst of a recession. It will cost my district over 3,500 jobs in 2012, and almost 2,500 more between 2012 and 2035. It also will increase the price of gasoline by $.77 per gallon and the price of diesel by $.88 per gallon, part of a penalty on oil and gas that will be passed straight to the consumer. But worst of all, it will burden working families with thousands of dollars more a year in stealth taxes on their energy consumption.

"I've always believed in the science behind climate change and I have worked to mitigate its effects. But this bill mandates too much and accomplishes too little at too great a cost. It will do little to help our environment - in fact it will reduce global temperatures by only two-tenths of one degree; instead it seems to be more about government mandates and growing the government bureaucracy.

"This bill is a disaster for Illinois. It is especially punative against nuclear, coal, and natural gas, which are the three sources of electricity Illinois relies on most. Nuclear energy is safe and clean, but this does pathetically little for it; it does not support technology for recycling nuclear waste, nor does it address the need for a secure storage facility for nuclear waste.

"Waxman-Markey creates an unlevel playing field that favors India and China and will force jobs overseas. It will put American manufacturers at an even greater competitive disadvantage, while relying on nothing more than the goodwill of other countries to reduce their carbon emissions.

"But I'm not just saying ‘no' to this job-killing, tax-raising bill, I'm offering viable alternatives. I am a cosponsor of American Energy Act, an ‘all of the above' energy proposal that will enable the United States to achieve energy independence, lower energy costs for American households, create jobs here at home, and help the environment as well. The American Energy Act also strongly supports clean, safe nuclear energy, including a goal of bringing 100 new nuclear reactors online in the next twenty years; every nuclear plant built in Illinois will create between 1400 and 1800 jobs, roughly 800 of which will remain on site."

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