Cap and Raid Squeaks through House with 219 Votes, Historic National Energy Tax Bound for Defeat

House-passed national energy tax will increase electricity prices, unemployment

Washington, DC – Following a narrow vote in the U.S. House of Representatives on what has been described at the ‘biggest tax in American history,’ Thomas J. Pyle, president of the American Energy Alliance (AEA), issued this statement on the cap-and-trade bill’s passage:

“With the amount of arm twisting, horse trading, and political favor swapping needed to force a House vote on this job-killing legislation, it should come as no surprise that a strong showing of congressmen – from both parties – opposed this national energy tax.

“What congressman wants to travel back to their district and have to look their constituents in eye and say ‘yes, I voted to increase your energy bills?’

“And while some may view this vote as a victory, American families will suffer if this bill ever becomes law. After all, the purpose of this legislation is to increase the price of energy, forcing Americans to pay more for the inefficient and unreliable power sources favored by the government.

“With the passage of this bill, Speaker Pelosi and President Obama have made it clear that payoffs to political special interests come before the needs of the American people and our economic and energy security.”

The American Energy Alliance (AEA) is a not-for-profit organization that engages in public policy advocacy and debate surrounding the function, operation, and government regulation of global energy markets. AEA, an affiliate of the Institute for Energy Research, works to educate and mobilize citizens around the idea that freely-functioning energy markets provide the most efficient and effective solutions to today’s global energy and environmental challenges.

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