Why Did We Need RGGI? - Granite Grok

Why Did We Need RGGI?

With the recent approval of significant electric rate increases that will allow PSNH to recover some $67 million dollars a year in costs related to legislated state energy mandates (NH Renewable Standard and the RGGI tax), having this fall into my in-box could not have been more fortuitous.

From the journal Earth System Dynamics billed as “An Interactive Open Access Journal of the European Geosciences Union” comes this paper which suggests that the posited AGW forcing effects simply isn’t statistically significant in the observations, but other natural forcings are.

What that means is that a European Science journal is reporting a study that tried to consider all the data and all the factors that might influence global temperature change and human activity (AGW) was deemed statistically insignificant.  The things that drive temperature change–natural forcings–are what makes the world get warmer and cooler.

So why did we need RGGI?

We didn’t.  New Hampshire Democrats saw an opportunity to bring revenue in to the state, to tax you, without ever having to vote on that tax, ever again.  They could abrogate their taxing power to RGGI, which would have permission to make electricity generators buy carbon credits.  The state would get a kick back and the electricity producers would have to pass those costs on to us.

Earlier this past year PSNH indicated it would need to raise almost $70,000,000.00 (million) per year to recover costs the legislature had mandated.  Thy asked the PUC (the state’s purveyor of utility indulgences) to allow them to raise rates and the PUC said yes.  It had to.  PSNH can’t operate without covering those mandated costs  Someone has to pay.  That someone is every person, family, business, everyone in the state who relies on PSNH in some way for their electricity.

For what?

So utilities could money launder a few million (diverted) for the bloated Democrat deficit, some weatherstripping in public buildings, and a few crony handouts for the greater good and glory of a false god.  (Oh, Mighty Global Warming Climate Change–  Owwwwmmmmm.)

The poor box coughed up around 40 million over four years for the state.  The payback is closer to 70 million per year for some unknown length of time.  You gotta love that Democrat math.

So New Hampshire Democrats pre-passed a $70 million dollar a year broad based tax to be levied at some future date (now) on everyone in the state.

It’s a broad based tax, a regressive tax, it crams costs down on towns, working families, and our most vulnerable, it is like a lifestyle death panel.  Good thing Democrat’s haven’t been making the price of oil and gas go up or…oh!

That’s 70 million a year sipped out of our utility bills and  none of that will go to help anyone.  It won’t pave a road or fix a bridge.  It wont help a mental patient.  It wont council a pregnant teen or aid the unemployed.   It wont even buy condoms or birth control.  And it wont be spent on energy efficiency improvements, or more efficient equipment or appliances.  In fact, it will take money away from all of those things every year for years to come, from all of us.

What is perhaps even more ironic is that carbon schemes do not even reduce emissions they just launder taxes through third parties.

And look.  One of the most comprehensive reports to date states that human beings are not a statistically significant driver of temperature change, something we climate deniers have been saying for years–for free.

Cheap, reliable energy is not warming the planet.  It is, however, an important driver of employment, growth, comfort, prosperity, and innovation.

Democrats must be against those things.   And looking around I’d say their plan is working.

 

 

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