Pirate's Cove

If only Republicans at the state and federal levels would introduce bills to make those who vote for ‘climate change’ bills give up all use of fossil fuels for official business. As a start

Op-Ed: ‘Polluter pays’ bill to address climate change is not in main street’s best interest

New Jersey lawmakers just introduced another feel-good “solution” to the climate crisis that will make life worse for everyday Americans in the Garden State.

In late September, Democratic State Sen. John McKeon began lobbying aggressively in favor of a bill that would force companies to pay a tax for “causing” climate change.

His legislation comes on the heels of a very similar bill that several Democratic U.S. senators introduced on the federal level on September 12.

These two pieces of legislation, which employ the so-called “Polluter Pays Principle” that’s gained popularity among leftist politicians, would have government bureaucrats calculate how much each company must pay for their part in “causing” this climate crisis.

What could possibly go wrong with giving bureaucrats this power?

These “Polluter Pays” bills  are being marketed as a way to ensure marketplace fairness and a cleaner country, but in reality, they would penalize companies for the “crime” of doing business in our state — for driving the cars that put food on our tables and make our supply chain hum and for providing us with the oil, gas, and energy we need to heat our homes and start our cars.

That’s not a recipe for fairness; it’s a recipe for grinding commerce in New Jersey to a halt.

It’s a recipe for companies leaving the state, and, those that can’t will pass the costs onto the consumers

With such a law in effect, fewer fossil fuel companies will choose to do business in New Jersey, and the ones that continue doing so will have no choice but to raise their prices to offset the added operational costs.

What happens when they decide to just leave? When there are few gas stations? And those that don’t will simply raise their costs, from gas to sodas and hot dogs and stuff where they are convenience stores? And a lot use natural gas for cooking and heating.

Moreover, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, almost three-quarters of New Jersey households use natural gas as their primary heating fuel, and nearly half of the state’s total electricity generation is provided by it.

With energy prices already pretty high, this will not go over well. But, all those who vote Democrat should take it on the chin and not complain, right?

Put another way, polluters won’t pay; New Jerseyans will. Here’s hoping these bills get shelved quickly.

But, they won’t expect them to pass. Hopefully it doesn’t mean a boatload more more down to NC and forgetting why they left NJ.