Cap & Trade: A Really Difficult 932-page Read

Not sure you understand this whole climate change, cap and trade debate in Congress? You’re not alone. But when it is declared as the biggest economic threat to Indiana’s future, it’s clear we should be paying a little more attention.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee will be attempting a markup of legislation this week that would impact all businesses and consumers (in the form of higher prices). Indiana’s heavy reliance on coal makes those impacts significantly deeper here than in other areas.

The minority Republicans will try to offer a wide range of amendments. They may also try to slow the process, and hope sanity eventually prevails, by requiring the committee clerk to read the entire 932-page bill.

Back to learning more. Try this U.S. Chamber of Commerce fact sheet for starters; for Indiana Chamber members, participate in our June 5 policy conference call.  Invest a little time now to try and save a whole lot of pain later.

Speaker to Present Different Take on Global Warming

GlobeNumerous headlines regarding global climate change appear in newspapers around the world every day.  Former Vice President Al Gore and other leading environmentalists have been warning that we are headed for a man-made global catastrophe if our interaction with the planet doesn’t drastically change. More recently, environmental experts such as April 29 Economic Club of Indiana speaker Steven Hayward, have publicly disagreed with Gore and company.

Hayward, an environmental researcher holding numerous prestigious fellowships and an adjunct professorship at Georgetown University, starred in a film rebutting Gore’s claims of pending disaster as a result of climate change.  Hayward is of the belief that the planet goes through natural periods of warming and cooling and is not tremendously influenced by the activity of human beings.

His position on the issue, shared by an increasing number of scientists – such as MIT’s Richard Lindzen – has earned him both criticism and praise. Hayward plans to present his research, "The Unseriousness of Climate Change Policy: Confronting the Economic and Energy Realities” at the Economic Club of Indiana luncheon on April 29.   

Agree or disagree? Either way, you should hear what Hayward has to say. It’s from noon to 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 29 at the Indiana Convention Center.