Wisconsin "State energy bill offers suicide economics"

[WhiskeyGirl]

The Legislature in Madison is debating a $15 billion utility rate hike, under the guise of "green jobs," to satisfy the ideological musings of the far left.

This complex piece of legislation known as the Clean Energy Jobs Act is an incredibly expensive solution in search of a problem. Wisconsin has a surplus of energy, not a deficit. We don't need politicians forcing us to play their game and sticking us with the price of admission.

This bill's authors believe Wisconsinites have to stop global warming. Not the world, not Americans - Wisconsinites. They must think Wisconsin's air stops at its borders. If that were true, our efforts could bear fruit. But it isn't.

We are foolish to act alone. If we pass this bill, Wisconsin will become the Midwest's economic pariah. High taxes and stiff regulations mixed with high energy costs - it's suicide economics.

I support a shift to a more renewable fuel model, but it should happen naturally. We don't need to be hit over the head with a blunt object in order to move forward.

When the appropriate technologies become available and the open market develops a way to create sustainable jobs and make a profit, our renewable energy needs will be satisfied.

Sen. Ted Kanavas, a Republican, represents Wisconsin's 33rd Senate District.

http://www.jsonline.com/news/opinion/85569412.html

Where are the jobs going to come from?  Follow the money.

Wisconsin taxpayers are broke.

[WhiskeyGirl]

They also miss a few basic realities.

First, in today’s economy, every job is a "green job." Any manufacturer who has weathered the recession and is still standing is doing so because they have squeezed every last penny of savings out of their operations.

They have cut energy usage to the bone in order to cut operational costs.

To create an artificial distinction and imply some sort of moral hierarchy between "green jobs" and "regular jobs" is misguided and offensive.   Whether you are making solar panels or ceiling panels, windmills or widgets, your job today is "going green" in one form or another and is critical to our regional economy.

Second, once you are willing to acknowledge that all jobs matter, the debate must center on what the impact of new energy mandates and increased regulation will be on the general business climate here in Wisconsin.

We should absolutely look for ways to make Wisconsin an attractive place to locate or expand jobs in emerging renewable energy technologies. But we must also look for ways to attract and support jobs in every other sector as well.

Landing Ingeteam’s wind turbine generator factory was a big win for Milwaukee, but so was Bucyrus International Inc.'s acquisition of mining equipment giant Terex. The state’s global warming legislation needs to be looked at in relation to its impact on our entire economy.

read more here - http://www.biztimes.com/blogs/milwaukee-biz-blog/2010/2/22/green-jobs-debate-is-not-black-and-white