Congressman Tom McClintock Forecasts Negative Impact of California’s Cap and Trade
May 19, 2011 
4 Comments
During a recent interview with Warren Duffy, CFACTSOCAL founder, current Congressman Tom McClintock, Republican, California’s 4th District, reflected on his battle to defeat the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 while serving in the California State Legislature. He was aware then, and continues today, with his understanding of the toll it willl have on every Californian when this law is implemented January 1, 2012.
Below is a portion of that interview.
“In California, we now have the highest electric prices in the continental United States and they will double,” predicted McClintock. “The impact on the economy (of California) will be catastrophic,” he added.
Adding to the gloomy forecast, Congressman McClintock, who served 22 years in California’s State Legislature and argued forcefully against passage of the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, explained how the law’s negative impact on the state’s agriculture, wine and construction industry alone will be devastating.
According to the new law, the use by agriculture of a nitrogen fertilizer, generates polluting gases as a by-product. McClintock forecasts the need to comply to meet these environmental regulations will drive agriculture costs so dramatically, food prices will necessarily increase.
McClintock went on to share that over the past 6 years California investment decisions were made taking the Global Warming Solutions Act into account and causing a ripple effect in the state ever since. Unemployment numbers in California began to increase in the Fall of 2006. What was the anomaly in California at that time? AB32, the law passed by the state legislature to implement the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006. Companies began to include the impending restrictions into their long term planning with one natural result being a cut back in jobs.
The Congressman further explained how California’s impressive wine producing industry will feel the effects of the new state pollution standards. “To create wine, you take the glucose in the grape and ferment it resulting in a gas the new law says is a pollutant,” McClintock said.
Construction is yet another industry expected to experience a dramatic plunge from the new law. McClintock believes, “Costs will explode in the next year. To produce a ton of cement you also produce a ton of carbon dioxide and the state says that pollutes, so the construction industry will take a major hit.”
Because he now represents California on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., McClintock was especially critical of the newly proposed energy polices with the current administration. “The president says one thing, but does another. He has declared a moratorium on Gulf Coast (drilling) permits and he wants to raise taxes on oil companies,” said McClintock.
He predicts both plans will lead to disaster.
Listen to Congressman McClintock’s entire interview with Duffy on the podcast available here beginning May 25, 2011.
Folks in the district Tom MISrepresents has had it. He will not be returning to Congress in 2012. Should free up more time to fight this loosing battle with his Tea Party soulmates. We want a representative that actually listens and fight for constituents, not his own agenda.
Is that TEXAS calling him to move there to be closer to his oil contributors?
Good day~ The Congressman has always been a strong supporter of the people….he tried to defeat Global Warming bills both in CA and in D.C. and believes in utilizing the resources our country has to supply us-not buying them from other countries. He is against the Dems spending more, taxing more and providing we the people less. It saddens me you do not feel he is fighting for you in D.C. He has always proven to us to be one of ‘us’ -NOT one of ‘them’.
Yeah, good old Tom, always working for the best interest of the voters, right? Seldom is that the fact such as his pushing thru legislation to keep the 760 areea code in his district. See, he didn’t want businesses to have to absorb a one time business expense to add a new area code on their inovices, promotional items, business cards and so on over a 2 year period. Now hundreds of thousands of residents have the wonderful opportunity to dial an extra 4 digits each and every time they place a call. In my opinion that makes him one of ‘them’, not one of ‘us’. Not to mention the fact that he is incapable of thinking for himself as illistrated by his voting the party line as opposed to merits of a proposal.
Thank you for sharing your opinion…an interesting topic. As a CA resident, I would not like the inconvenience of dialing a few extra numbers, but without knowing all the information, as a business owner I would not be in favor of an added expense. However, when compared to so many others in office, I can hardly throw Tom in the ‘one of them’ basket. I am not certain if reference to voting party line is in regard to the latest budget proposal, but I know the legislators in Sacramento never listened to the efforts of Tom and other legislators attempting to stop the Cap and Trade scheme, chose to ignore the truthful facts of the law and remain arrogant and deviant today to the well being of our state and its residents.