Government Should Compel Consumers to Use Alternative Energy, Congressman Says

[stephanie]

our Goverment in action.:rolleyes:

Friday, March 27, 2009
By Josiah Ryan, Staff Writer

Government policy should be crafted to raise the price of carbon-emitting energy sources so consumers are compelled to choose alternative energy, House Democratic Conference Chairman John Larson (D-Conn.) told CNSNews.com on Thursday.

Larson agreed that such a policy would likely result in higher electricity prices for consumers but said this is needed to protect the environment from the possible “catastrophic results” of not implementing a pro-green energy policy.

Some Republicans who spoke with CNSNews.com at the Capitol agreed that electricity prices would go up, and they dismissed President Barack Obama’s cap-and-trade plan as little more than a large tax on energy producers, the cost of which is passed onto consumers.

With cap and trade, the amount of carbon an energy company can emit is capped. If it exceeds that limit, the company can purchase credits (“trade”) that would go towards investment in green or alternative energy firms.

“I think the government should serve as an impetus to do so, because as I said at the outset, not doing anything -- the catastrophic results that can come from that – are what drives this issue,” Larson told CNSNews.com when asked if boosting electricity prices through government policy to drive consumers to green energy was a good idea.

“We ought to do it in a way that both enhances our economy and our economic opportunity and also preserves the universe and the earth,” said Larson.

read the rest.
http://www.cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=45698

[Nukeman]

Here's the problem! I have been looking into solar and wind generating equipment for about 2 years now. I have been looking for any "tax breaks", "incentives", or "grants" to help offset the cost.

the cost of a small to midsized system to cut your electric bills in half at least here in Indiana is ..........................

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$20,000.00

With NO incentives to do this....... Absolutely appaling. the (the governement) want the average citizen to invest in this type of technology yet are unwilling to help lower the cost....

[glockmail]

“We ought to do it in a way that both enhances our economy and our economic opportunity and also preserves the universe and the earth,” said Larson.

Wow talk about full of ourselves. No we can control the universe by using squiggly bulbs! :lol:

[Monkeybone]

if they are really going to do that (raise the prices) shouldn't they first give us so many years or whatever of lowered alternate power souces prices? or at least incentives that would expire eventually? that way it is easier for us that ain't in hippy Cali to do it without breaking the bank. and then when the time expires they can raise the prices and anyone who bitches can get the "we gave you time" answer

[Classact]

The tree huggers have a lot of ways to explain Cap-in-Trade carbon taxing and this is just another example. I've been very interested in alternative energy since the Carter administration but it just costs too much to get into it. I did build my own solar hot water panel and I'm in the process of building a monotube boiler fired by used motor/veggie oil that will power a small steam engine I built... that will, in turn power a generator for supplementing my home electric.

The Obama and tree hugger left lies about "green jobs that cannot be outsourced" is a lie! Obama and tree friends do not like nuclear and windmills and solar equipment made in America must compete with devices made around the world at lower prices...Europe even makes solar and wind products for lower prices than those made in America and the solar fields in the Mojave desert on TV ads were not made in America nor the windmills on much of the West coast... they were made in Spain and Holland. On a side note, the far left tree huggers are now lobbing congress against the gigantic solar array in the Mojave Desert because of aesthetics.

[5stringJeff]

So... they want to artifically raise the price of something in order to 'make ' people make the choice to buy alternative energy. How will that ever force the price of alternative energy down? And what kind of crippling effect will that have on the economy?

Statists are such idiots.

[avatar4321]

The government shouldnt compel consumers to do anything.

[sgtdmski]

Compelling my butt. This will be done by the force of a gun, or in this case the force of the law. The power to tax is the power to destroy. I have been looking into windmill technology. I own a small cabin that is off the gird and I am interesting in powering it.

Well the cost of a windmill and the necessary convertors and batteries to store the power when not being used runs close to $28,000. This is money that must be paid up front when you buy all the equipment.

Saving the planet is a lovely goal, but do we truly know that we really are damaging the planet? Don't get me wrong, I believe that some of the energy we use produces pollution that is not good, however, I wonder, does the planet, like we the people, actually adapt and evolve to better handle what it faces.

We hear all this talk about climate change and global warming, yet over the past three years we have seen winter temperatures that are colder. Could it be that the climate actually does change except that change is not caused by man but rather by cycles?

I saw a report on CNN today, Obama had signed a bill here in Colorado at a museum that is powered by solar panels. Guess what, the solar panelling cost $720,000. The museum was given the panels by the manufacturer, who had received monies from the government to do this.

One building and it cost $720,000, except for Al Gore who can afford that?

dmk