For all of the fine-sounding words, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) does one thing: takes money from some so that Government will spend it elsewhere.
It doesn’t matter what the fine-sounding words are, what the Politicos and the Environmental Activists yammer about, its results are having Government make energy that allows us to flip on lights, keep warm, keep our foods fresher in the fridge, wash our clothes, and everything else that those nasty power plants sending the electricity to our homes.
And making it more expensive so that said Politicos, pandering for the enviro-votes, and said Activists, believing they are planet Saviors, can feel good about themselves.
RGGI – the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative:
The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) is a cooperative, market-based effort among the states of Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Virginia to cap and reduce CO2 emissions from the power sector. It represents the first cap-and-invest regional initiative implemented in the United States.
And it takes someone with the political courage to stand up to those that make the energy more expensive for others, again, simply for the Feelz. Sadly, that person is not my Governor Chris Sununu, or he would have already done so (or is he one of those said Politicos??). But there is one, just days on the job, acting like a Republican in protecting his citizens (reformatted, emphasis):
Youngkin Poised to Withdraw Virginia From Multistate Climate Pact
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin is pursuing a multipronged strategy to dismantle climate change regulations and hold down energy costs, his press secretary told The Daily Signal. Government records indicate that Youngkin will rely on a mix of executive action, budget changes, and legislation to withdraw from the 11-state Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative…“The governor pledged to withdraw Virginia from RGGI because of the unfair burden it places on Virginia ratepayers,” Porter said in an interview. “On Day One, he issued an executive order to do just that”. “The executive action initiated the regulatory process to withdraw,” Porter added, “but he’s also supporting legislative action to make sure future governors cannot unilaterally put Virginia back into this failed and expensive program.”
And that “market-based effort” (yes, scare quotes intentional)?
…In these states, government regulators impose an upper limit or “cap” on the amount of carbon dioxide emissions that power plants are permitted to emit. The initiative also creates “allowances” within interstate auctions that may be traded back and forth among companies subjected to the emission caps. The idea behind cap-and-trade is to provide energy companies with financial incentives to reduce emissions. Companies that meet or exceed emissions targets may sell any excess allowances to companies that have not done so.
No, this is NOT a market-based effort by any means. Markets get derived by innovators that then get consumers to buy their offerings. Simple and voluntary.
NO one forces those producers to make those products other than the self-interest of getting a return on their efforts.
NO one forces consumers to hand over their money to purchase them, but that is what a market-based approach does. It allows both “Yes, I will” and “NO, I want no part of it.”
The Government doesn’t allow a Yes or a No – that would be a choice. That can’t be allowed – “WE’RE SAVING GAIA!” in lots of other areas as well.
And in this case, because our Education system is so freaking poor, most people drift by that “market-based” propaganda and go “well, okay.” They shouldn’t as it isn’t.
Once Government gets involved and FORCES something like RGGI, it’s merely government regulations. Government decree, diktat, regulations, OBEY.
And that “financial incentives” bit is just yet another euphemism to put chocolate all over it. Go ahead – watch how fast that “financial incentive” turns into Government Punishment if you don’t play by the Rules that Government set.
And NH Governor Sununu is okay with this. He’s had two years of Republican majorities in the NH Legislature to make this happen.
- He could have issued Executive Orders…
Sidenote: he’s really good at writing EOs – just look how many he wrote in making the NH Constitution moot under his rubric of “Public Health trumps EVERYTHING.”
…as pre-emptive strikes in advance of lowering our skyrocketing electric bills – he didn’t.
- He could have written legislation to back up his EOs – he’s not bad at that either. He didn’t
- He could have announced it during his frequent times on TV in “Gov-splaining’ to the rest of us what’s going on (“Get that Jab, you dolts – and don’t mind that new info that the Pfizer / Moderna mRNA vaxxes actually ARE changing your cells’ DNA (like in your liver)”) – he didn’t.
Limp-wristed, I guess.
Youngkin – look at those bulging political biceps. It’s almost like Youngkin read what I wrote long ago:
The Tennessee Star picked up something that I had written at the very end of this post:
If the NH Republican Party wants to win, and win Consistently, act like you believe in the Platform. Speak like you do and at each and every turn. Vote like you do at each and every opportunity. And Legislate like there’s no tomorrow because two days ago was that “no more tomorrow” – and you blew it
Sununu, not so much. In fact, I’m betting I’m one of the “Extremists” he’s been talking about lately.
November is coming.
(H/T: The Daily Signal)
