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    • Climate 411

    Blogging the science and policy of global warming

    Factsheet Wars: Republican Study Committee Flubs Facts

    Posted: in News

    Written By

    Sam Parry
    Sam Parry

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    Claim:

    Republican Study Committee Factsheet“Unveiled: Democrat Cap and Tax Proposal”

    That’s the headline of a Republican Study Committee “fact”sheet taking on the Waxman-Markey draft climate bill.

    Their points include:

    • The [Waxman-Markey] draft [legislation] includes a study to implement a cap and trade system, or more accurately: ‘cap and tax.’
    • According to a study conducted by the Massachusetts of Technology [sic], the total energy bill for the average household will increase by up to $3,128 per year.
    • A cap & tax system would raise costs for American manufacturers, reduce market share, and in turn ship jobs to competitors that are not subject to similar limits on greenhouse gas emissions.

    — Republican Study Committee responding to the draft legislative proposal offered by Reps. Henry Waxman and Ed Markey, March 31, 2009

    Truth:

    As we’ve posted before, global warming is not a partisan issue. Its impacts will be felt by Republicans, Democrats and Independents alike.

    Key Republican leaders support national global warming action — including Governors Arnold Schwarzenegger from California and Jon Huntsman from Utah; senior statesmen like former Senator John Warner from Virginia and Senator Richard Lugar from Indiana; and the Republican nominee for President last year, Senator John McCain.

    We are working with leaders on both sides of the aisle, because we need an American solution, not a partisan fight.

    So, we take no pleasure in challenging the Republican Study Committee’s false claims (okay, we may have had a little fun).

    The RSC mangled the facts. For example, far from being a job killer, the Political Economy Research Institute reports that every dollar invested in renewable energy and energy efficiency will produce roughly three times more jobs than spending the same amount within polluting industries.

    And, the RSC reuses the bogus claim that the average household will see their energy bills increase by up to $3,128 per year. One of the authors of the MIT report on which this claim is based wrote a letter to Republican leadership saying the number is really $340 (estimate for the average total impact per family) and urged Republicans to stop misrepresenting the MIT report.

    Here’s our slightly cheeky FACT sheet rebuttal.

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