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U.S. Climate Measures to Emphasize Jobs Creation Enthusiasm for a cap-and-trade program to help curb U.S. greenhouse gas emissions has been replaced by a sense of urgency regarding jobs creation in light of continued high unemployment figures.
While some believe that a cap-and-trade system would ultimately create jobs by forcing U.S. industries to develop more cutting-edge green technologies, others say it will raise the cost of doing business and send industry overseas, reported the Wall Street Journal.
The failure of the international community to settle on any concrete reductions at the recent summit in Copenhagen likely has taken the already diminished wind out of the sails of a comprehensive U.S. greenhouse gas reduction plan.
The Obama administration may instead launch a series of “green jobs” measures designed to help put people to work while fostering more carbon-neutral businesses. In January, for example, Obama announced the recipients of $2.3 billion in federal tax credits for clean energy manufacturing.
Some opponents of cap-and-trade would like to see mandated percentages of electricity produced from renewable sources in conjunction with more government power to site the transmission needed to get new renewable energy to market. Additionally, many believe that a cap-and-trade program alone will not force enough change to meaningfully reduce carbon emissions, and that government will have to mandate efficiency in vehicles, appliances and buildings in order to make sure that power producers aren’t the only ones being forced to make cuts. |
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