John Boehner, Sep 4, 2009

Last Wednesday I attended the Columbus Energy Summit to participate in a serious discussion about energy legislation in Congress. Joining me were several Ohio representatives and a distinguished panel of witnesses who agreed: the Democrats’ ‘cap and trade’ bill (H.R. 2454), also known as the national energy tax, would be devastating for Ohio families and small businesses.

By imposing arbitrary ‘caps’ and allowing politicians to ration American energy production, the national energy tax would increase our dependence on foreign oil, drive up costs, and put millions of Americans out of work.

One panel member, Harry Alford, is the CEO of the National Black Chamber of Commerce (NBCC). The NBCC recently did a comprehensive study of ‘cap and trade’ and found it would destroy more than 2.5 million jobs, many coming from the Midwest. A study by the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) said that number could be as high as 108,000 jobs lost in Ohio alone.

The NAM study also concluded that in Ohio, under ‘cap and trade,’ gasoline prices would increase by as much as 26 percent and electricity prices would be 60 percent higher than if Congress did nothing.

Rural areas of the state where residents rely on electricity from Ohio’s abundant coal reserves would be hit particularly hard by a national energy tax. The bill’s complex rationing system, and insistence on expensive, unproven technology, would leave many coal-powered electricity generation plants with no choice but to jack up rates -- or shut down altogether.

Those engaged in energy intensive businesses like farming and steelmaking will face a tough choice: raise prices or close up shop. With Congress artificially increasing costs, and cheaper goods readily available from overseas, jobs and income will quickly go elsewhere.

The Columbus Energy Summit was hosted by the American Energy Solutions Group, a team of lawmakers I tasked with crafting new policies to help lower energy prices, create new jobs, and promote a healthy environment. The result of their work is the American Energy Act, a bold and innovative ‘all of the above’ strategy that lifts barriers to energy production in Ohio and around the country and invests in the fuels that will power our country in the century to come.

For example, in his testimony, Mr. Alford pointed out that the ‘cap and trade’ bill ‘does not even address nuclear energy.’ But the American Energy Act does. Our bill would help bring 100 new emissions-free nuclear power plants online in the next 20 years.

A handful of groups who support ‘cap and trade’ posted activists at the hearing and I applaud them for showing up to make their voice heard. But they say those who want to do ‘all of the above’ to solve our energy problems are like cavemen. The irony here is that if we listened to the activist groups who want to dramatically raise fuel prices and allow politicians to ration energy use, that’s where our economy will end up: back in the stone age.

Unfortunately, these activists have the ear of Democratic leaders who bottled the American Energy Act up in committee. For now, it is unlikely to see the light of the day.

The summit was held on the same day that new government data showed 298,000 more jobs were lost in August. Ohio’s unemployment rate remains at its highest level in a generation. We can’t afford a jobs-killing national energy tax -- especially not when there’s a much better solution that’s ready to go, if only the Democratic leadership will allow Congress to vote on it. Please visit johnboehner.house.gov to learn more about the American Energy Act.

Congressman John Boehner is the House Minority Leader. Boehner, a Republican, represents Ohio's Eighth Congressional District, which includes Miami, Butler, Preble, Darke, and Mercer Counties.