The Cost

From higher electric bills to lost jobs, current climate change bills lack common sense. The result? Costs that Americans can't afford to pay.

Higher Bills

Climate change legislation will dramatically increase the cost of energy making everything you do from driving your car to heating your home cost more. In fact, it is predicted that the average cost of energy per family could go up by more than $100 a month. If the bill passes, you will begin to see these higher rates as quickly as 2012.

And, these costs will not only affect your family’s energy bills, they will also affect your grocery bill, your department store bills and home improvement store bills. Because manufacturers use energy to make the things we need, it will be more expensive for them to produce everything from shoes and clothing to carpet and furnishings. It will also make it more expensive for farmers to deliver milk, eggs, fruits and vegetables to grocery stores. Therefore, you can expect to see prices increased on virtually anything you purchase – totaling $3,900 more per year on essential expenses alone.

Quick Facts

It is estimated that American families will pay $3,900 more a year for essential expenses, including:

  • Electricity and natural gas bills per household would increase by at least $1,500 per year.
  • Annual property taxes would go up by $1,709.
  • The average cost for gasoline could go up to $4.00 a gallon.
(Source: The Heritage Foundation)

 

Job Loss

Pennsylvania is the fourth largest coal producer in the nation with nearly 50,000 jobs associated with the industry. When you include other fossil fuel related industries, such as petroleum and natural gas, that number climbs significantly.

However, job loss is not limited to only those related to fossil fuels. Current climate change legislation will have a severe impact manufacturing jobs as well. With energy costs soaring, companies may choose to outsource their manufacturing to countries like China and India who have chosen not to increase energy costs by limiting their greenhouse gas emissions, thus giving them an unfair advantage. Foreign competition will prosper at our expense. It is estimated that more than 84,000 Pennsylvania jobs could be lost in just a few years.

And, although many are touting the new, alternative energy jobs that will be developed as a part of this bill, studies show that for every “green job” created more than two existing jobs will be lost. In fact, lost jobs across the country are expected to top one million.

 

Quick Facts

  • Unemployment due to current climate change legislation is expected to top 1 million workers, including 84,000 here in Pennsylvania within a few years.
  • India and China have already said they will not match U.S. environmental goals in order to protect their economies.

 

(Source: The Heritage Foundation, American Petroleum Institute, King Juan Carlos University)

Wealth Transfer

Current climate change legislation places a burden on states like Pennsylvania that depend on fossil fuels for electricity and jobs, while benefiting states like Massachusetts and California, who depend little on fossil fuels. The result is an unfair transfer of wealth from Pennsylvania to the east and west coasts.
Under the bills, coal mining will be hit hard as will our emerging natural gas industry including the promising development of the Marcellus Shale, potentially the largest gas reserve in the country. And, because 63 percent of our state’s power comes from fossil fuels, Pennsylvania will be significantly affected by energy rate hikes.
In addition to transfer of wealth between states, these bills will also cause American wealth to flow overseas. As the cost of manufacturing goods in the United States increase due to rising energy costs, companies will send more jobs to countries like China and India with lower energy rates.
Quick Facts
  • Pennsylvania has the highest emissions per dollar of economic activity in the United States – and faces the great challenge of reducing them to meet the requirements of these bills.
  • These bills could mean a reduction of as much as $358 billion to Pennsylvania’s gross state product (GSP)
  • These bills could reduce our gross national product by $9.4 trillion.
(Sources: The Heritage Foundation, American Petroleum Institute, American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity)

More Regulation

In addition to more regulations on the American economy these bills also place more regulations on you. Hidden within the thousands of pages of climate legislation are energy regulations that could affect our everyday lives. Mandates include new energy efficient standards on everything from light bulbs and water dispensers to your furnace and jacuzzi. For example, in one bill there is an entire section that deals with lamps and home lighting. A regulation found there requires that no candelabra will be able to use more than a 60 watt light bulb.
Additionally, the bill states that new homes must be built using the new California building requirements for optimum energy efficiency. So, before you can sell your home, it will be inspected by the Environmental Protection Agency and given an energy rating. If you energy rating is found to be unacceptable you will be forced to retrofit your home before it can be sold.

Quick Facts

  • Strict new energy efficiency standards for appliances, lighting products and more will raise their price.
  • New energy-efficiency standards for buildings would require 30 percent improvement by 2010 and 50 percent improvement by 2016, requiring expense retrofits.