Dingell wants more money to "fight polution"

Rep. John Dingell is rolling out a new environmental plan. What's the plan? Raise taxes. Raise gas taxes, raise income taxes, raise energy taxes.

It should come as no surprise to anyone that Rep. Dingell is trying to raise taxes. His goal here is not to protect the auto industry - he has, after all, gone on record as saying he is "committed to CAFE increases", which are tantamount to the Senate-proposed increases that would destroy the auto industry. Nor is his goal here to reduce CO2 production - there are ways to do this which represent minimal cost to consumers and, most particularly, the poor who would suffer under a regressive carbon tax. He can have the same effect with proposals which would be more cost effective:

1. carpool lanes


2. building codes that include rigorous standards for energy efficiency


3. more efficient charging of household electronics (i.e. cell phones, batteries, laptops, etc.)


4. replacement of incandescent light bulbs with compact florescent bulbs


5. elimination of non-programmable thermostats

These programs and the long-term development of alternative energy will all have net cost savings, as well as promote energy efficiency and conservation of our natural resources.

Instead of taking a serious look at any of these programs, Rep. Dingell is simply trying to redirect more money away from consumers and toward the government. This should surprise no one, as Rep. Dingell makes no secret of his love of nearly every tax and his desire to raise them all. But raising taxes is not the best way to solve our pollution problems, and the sooner someone tells Rep. Dingell this fact, the better it will be for American taxpayers.

Plan Uses Taxes to Fight Climate Change
The Washington Post

WASHINGTON -- Dealing with global warming will be painful, says one of the most powerful Democrats in Congress. To back up his claim he is proposing a recipe many people won't like - a 50-cent gasoline tax, a carbon tax, and scaling back tax breaks for some home owners.

"I'm trying to have everybody understand that this is going to cost and that it's going to have a measure of pain that you're not going to like," Rep. John Dingell, who is marking his 52nd year in Congress, said Wednesday in an interview with the Associated Press.

Dingell will offer a "discussion draft" outlining his tax proposals on Thursday, the same day that President Bush holds a two-day conference to discuss voluntary efforts to combat climate change.

But Dingell, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee that will craft climate legislation, is making it clear that he believes tackling global warming will require a lot more if it is to be taken seriously.