Call NOW: We can't afford Doyle's AB 649 Global Warming/Clean Energy Jobs Act

How ironic. The State Senate Public Hearings for Governor Doyle's Global Warming Clean Energy Jobs Act are scheduled for today and tomorrow, Feb. 10th and 11th, just after one of our biggest blizzards of the year. There is one more Assembly hearing on Feb 15th. (By the way, if you can go to Madison, you don't have to stay to state your opposition. You can just fill out and submit a form, and it will be counted as testimony. Hearings are held at 10am in room 412 or 411 south.)

And all of this job killing, expensive nonsense is based on what? "...a glut of ongoing recent discoveries of systematic [global warming data]fraud has rocked the foundation, and the entire man-made global warming house of cards is not teetering on the verge of complete collapse."

Yet Governor Doyle and most of the State Democrats are still pushing full steam ahead on the Clean Energy Jobs Act AB 649.

In reality, AB 649 is just a reheated leftover of Governor Doyle's Global Warming Bill. It came about from his Global Warming Task Force that did not take into account the cost of their drastic measures, nor did it factor in jobs lost in Wisconsin due to its implementation.

The Governor just can't let go of the idea that Global Warming is man made or that his Don Quixote attempt to single handily tilt at windmills, or should I say mandate windmills, is not going to change the temperature of the planet by one degree. So like so many other unwanted ideas, we rename them as a jobs bill. Trouble is, this is a jobs killer bill.

You may have heard the 2 radio ads running regarding Governor Doyle's Global Warming Clean Energy Jobs Act, AB 649 / S 450. The ad against AB 649 from the WMC is straight forward, stating how it will raise energy prices for the average family by $1,000/year and kill jobs in Wisconsin.

The pro version by the Potawatomi sounds more like a fairy tale, talking about a factory in Wisconsin Rapids building wind propellers and biomass plant in Wausau. It ends with "protect Mother Earth so she can provide for all of us." Nauseating.

The Clean Energy Jobs Act calls for reducing CO2 emissions by 75% by 2050. (Is that even possible?) Plus a 25% renewable fuel mandate by 2025. (For Wisconsin, primarily it's wind.) That means increasing the amount of renewable energy by more than 20% in just 15 years. Is there even enough land available for all those windmills to meet the standards? They require such a huge landmass, and most people don't want to live near wind farms.

Windmills also require lots of wind--not too much and not too little, for they cannot generate at either extreme. Last week, Senator Glenn Grothman mentioned on Vicki McKenna's radio show that Wisconsin doesn't have enough wind to meet Doyle's requirements. Our windmills would be outsourced to North Dakota and Iowa!

If we were really interested in reducing CO2 and increasing jobs, we would repeal the moratorium on nuclear power plants. The bill does mention nuclear, but only after the renewable criteria is met.

Representative Jim Ott testified last week about the fallacies of clean, green energy helping Wisconsinites. It is worth reading. What makes Rep. Ott's testimony even more compelling is that he is a Meteorologist. He certainly knows about weather and the atmosphere!

Does Wisconsin even need additional electricity generating capacity? NO.

The Oak Creek coal fired power plant just came online. It is "a $2.3 billion colossus capable of generating enough electricity to power 1 million homes - power that even state regulators concede isn't needed now." (Oak Creek could power almost half the homes in Wisconsin alone. One third of its $2.3 B cost was for environmental controls.)

We need to stop this. I know we all hate doing it, but call, Call, CALL our State Senators and Representatives and call key Senate members who support this atrocious bill. Rep. Ott said we just need 2 Democrats to vote NO to stop this expensive job killer. You can also sign a petition: Save Jobs! Stop the Global Warming Bill!

Remind legislators that Wisconsin is home to the world's 2 largest coal mining equipment manufacturers: Joy Global and Bucyrus. How is taxing coal and promoting wind going to help them and their employees?

Senator Jim Sullivan (866) 817-6061 Remind State Senator Sullivan that he is facing a tough reelection race this fall from Rep. Leah Vukmir. When I called Sullivan's office, the young man taking calls didn't know much at all about the bill, the public hearings or that Oak Creek came online, giving us excess electricity production.

Senator Jeff Plale Co-sponsor of the bill, (608) 266-7505 Campaigned on a tax freeze and as a moderate to help blue collar workers.

Senator John Lehman (608) 266-1832 Or (866) 615-7510 Like Sullivan, he is facing a tough reelection.

Find your State Legislator

More reading:Hot Air Reports Rep. Jim Ott's Senate testimony and Assembly
Randy Melchert: Jim Ott on Global Warming, includes great interview by Jim Ott on In Focus
ABC News: New Wind Farms in the U.S. Do NOT Bring Jobs

Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce on AB 649 / S 450 expectations:

Result in 43,000 lost jobs in Wisconsin.

Cost each Wisconsin citizen $1,012 every year as a result of higher energy bills.

Increase the cost of gasoline in Wisconsin by $3.2 billion over the next 10 years.

Harm Wisconsin jobs with higher energy prices, making it harder for Wisconsin to emerge from the recession.

Senate Bill S 450

Links: Practically Speaking, Betterbrookfield, RandyMelchert, Jay Weber, Vicki McKenna, The Right View Wisconsin, CNS News, Mark Levin, Breitbart BigGovernment, The Heritage Foundation