Johanns: No Cap-and-Trade Gimmicks (Audio)
By Pork news source
| Wednesday, July 28, 2010
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Media reports indicate that some in the Majority are publicly contemplating trying to pass cap-and-trade by attaching it to a conference report during a lame duck session.
Sen. Mike Johanns Tuesday introduced legislation that would prevent cap-and-trade from being added to a House-Senate Conference bill if previous action has not been taken in the Senate. This means that 67 Senators would have to vote to allow cap and trade to become law without having debated it in the Senate. The Johanns legislation would make such a move very difficult.
“The American people are tired of being burned by backroom deals and procedural gimmicks,” said Johanns. “My legislation holds Congress accountable and ensures a fair and open debate about cap-and-trade instead of quietly slipping it into law. It’s shocking that the Majority would consider circumventing the will of the public to pass cap-and-trade in a lame duck session with zero debate in the Senate. Cap-and-trade is too broad, overreaching and economically significant to be snuck into law without a transparent and honest deliberation.”
“Farmers, ranchers, small businesses and virtually anyone who flips on a light switch will bear the brunt of this through higher taxes and sky-rocketing energy costs. Last spring, I led a successful effort to prevent cap-and-trade from being passed using budget reconciliation, and I am hopeful my colleagues again will join me in protecting the American people from this devastating policy.”
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Source: Sen. Mike Johanns
