Jan. 23, 2007 - 22:08 MST

WITH LOOPHOLES ?

When the fox tells us its time to guard the hen house perhaps it is time to pay a bit of attention. An article in this morning's The Rocky Mountain News might indicate just such an action. Article by H. Josef Hebert of The Associated Press quoted in full here:

CEOs URGE ACTION ON WARMING

Greenhouse gas limits needed, 10 firms' leaders say

"Chief executives of 10 major corporations urged Congress on Monday to require limits on greenhouse gases this year, contending voluntary efforts to combat climate change are inadequate."

"The call for immediate action came on the eve of President Bush's State of the Union address, in which he is expected to reiterate that industry on its own is making progress in curtailing the growth of heat-trapping emissions without the need of government intervention."

"But the executives and leaders, of four major environmental organizations said in a letter to Bush that mandatory emissions caps are needed to reduce the flow of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere."

"We can and must take prompt action to establish a coordinated, economywide market driven approach to climate protection," the executives, part of a coalition called the U.S. Climate Action Partnership, said in a letter to the president."

The executives, representing major utilities, aluminum and chemical companies, and financial institutions, said the corner-stone of climate policy should be an economywide emissions cap-and-trade system."

"Members of the group include chief executives of Alcoa Inc., BP America Inc., DuPont Co., Caterpillar Inc., General Electric Co. and Duke Energy Corp."

"At a news conference, they said that mandatory reductions of heat-trapping emissions can be imposed without economic harm and would lead to economic opportunities if done across the economy and with provisions to mitigate costs."

"Many of the companies already have voluntarily moved to curb greenhouse emissions, they said. But the executives also said they do not believe voluntary efforts will suffice."

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Some of their wording bothers me a bit, for instance, "take prompt action to establish a coordinated, economywide market-driven approach to climate protection." and then later, "said, the corner-stone of climate policy shoud be an economywide emissions cap and trade system." Makes me wonder, will the biggies buy emissions savings from the little companies and continue to spew their usual stuff into our atmosphere ?

The big guys, whether in corporations or government seem to disguise their motives with high-sounding words, makes me wonder, why always WITH LOOPHOLES ? . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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