Posted by Matt Hawes on 06/25/09 09:55 AM Last updated 06/25/09 12:15 PM [Newer: Contact your Representative about HR 2454] [Older: "Cap & Trade Is Not A Market Solution"]

According to various reports, Congress will vote on "Cap-and-Trade" legislation this Friday.  While it is a high priority item for the Obama administration, it appears that House Democrat leadership may yet fall short of the support needed to pass the bill come voting time.

This proposal, all 1,201 pages of it, has been rightly dubbed the "Cap-and-Tax" plan.  Once again, Congress will impose a hidden tax on all of us while attempting to appear "proactive."

From an email sent Wednesday by C4L President John Tate:

You see, energy companies just pass the costs of these draconian regulations through to the consumer in the form of huge price increases.

As a result, you will pay higher gas prices, higher electric prices, and higher costs for goods.

Barack Obama has estimated the costs of this legislation to American taxpayers to be over 650 BILLION dollars over the next eight years, and that figure is no doubt just a fraction of the real cost.

But even that modest estimate amounts to hundreds of dollars a year in increased living expenses for every family -- and will more likely cost thousands a year.

And according to the Heritage Foundation, between 1.2 and 2.3 million jobs could be lost over the next ten-years due to the bill's stifling regulations.

This current economic crisis is no time for Congress to consider both raising prices on hard-working Americans AND costing them jobs.

That's why we must act now to send a message to Congress to reject this disastrous Cap-and-Tax Scheme....

Supporters of the legislation are of course trying to downplay the cost of this scheme to the American people.

But if the bill does not directly and massively increase energy costs to consumers, how would it possibly achieve its stated aims?

It is only through these massive cost increases -- mandated and enforced by the federal government -- that the dubious goal of reducing carbon emissions could possibly be reached....

The Partnership for America's Energy Security has developed a chart of how HR 2454 could affect your state.  Click here to view the potential impact on your family and local areas.

Contact your representative and let them know you oppose putting further regulations on an already over-burdened industry. This Cap-and-Trade legislation will reach government's hands further into our pockets and increase the power of their agencies to control our lives.  Visit your state page today for congressional contact information and urge your representative to vote against HR 2454.

Posted 06/24/09 9:18 PM bluedeka INDIANAPOLIS, IN

Rep. Dan Burton (R-Indiana) made a short video to speak out against this bill, entitled "Two Roads: Cap-and-Trade vs. Common Sense" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZtpJXTbUkE

Posted 06/25/09 04:13 AM purplechoe Arlington Heights, IL

A Brand New Wall Street Bubble! Congressman DeFazio http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtwF9EsFF4M

Posted 06/25/09 05:25 AM Proud Reaganite Ypsilanti, MI

I called John Dingell's Ypsilanti office and left a message asking him to vote no and I stated his earlier comment that Cap and Trade "is a tax and a great big one". Let's see how the "Dean of the House" votes when the rubber meets the road.

Posted 06/25/09 07:14 AM Pritchard Broadview Height, OH

I'd like to know whether the Campaign for Liberty does not support this bill because it's Cap-and-Trade, or because it's a poor implementation of the idea behind Cap-and-Trade. I'm currently reading "The Green Economy" by Van Jones and Cap-and-Trade has been mentioned in the foreword by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. His foreword propagates Cap-and-Trade as a market solution towards increasing energy efficiency and as a step towards removing carbon-based subsidies.

Posted 06/25/09 08:49 AM mattgeb84 lynn, MA

whenever the government estimates the cost of something just multiply the estimate by ten to get the real cost

Posted 06/25/09 11:35 AM smither Friendswood, TX

Let our representatives know how you feel about this power grab. You can fax US Representatives here: http://www.faxyouropinion.com/representatives Compose your own message, or you can cut and paste items from John Tate's message above.

Posted 06/25/09 12:35 PM Ted Kirkpatrick Manassas, VA

This is a 1200 page bill that only a hybrid of an economist/engineer/businessman/scientist could come even close to comprehending. They didn't read the $787 billion stimulus bill, so what would make us think our Congresscritters are going to take the trouble to even skim this bill?

Posted 06/25/09 3:31 PM Caleb Kinley Hot Springs, AR

I just got a call from Arkansas Congressman Mike Ross' energy policy team. Congressman Ross will OPPOSE the Cap and trade. One down, three more to go!

Posted 06/25/09 5:27 PM BrentBurk San Pedro, CA

I think it's safe to say my congressman, Dana Rohrabacher, is voting against this bill. http://rohrabacher.house.gov/ (second video)

Posted 06/25/09 8:03 PM Glenn Cumming, GA

Reminded Congressman Deal via email of his recently strong record on voting against domestic intervention and asked him to help fight this bill. I'm still looking in the U.S. Constitution to find out where it's authorized to interfere in the creation and use of energy by private individuals.