Who Owns The Sky? (TomPaine.com)

[marmar]

Who Owns The Sky?
Frank O'Donnell
June 28, 2007


Frank O'Donnell is president of Clean Air Watch, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization aimed at educating the public about clean air and the need for an effective Clean Air Act.


Should big polluters own the sky?

Dick Cheney would say yes, but most of us would disagree.

Still, that’s one of the key questions as Congress considers how to limit and reduce global warming pollution. The U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee is set to examine this and related issues this morning.

Many of the biggest coal-burning power companies claim they own the sky—and should be paid billions of dollars to reduce their emissions.

A new Clean Air Watch white paper concludes that the 10 most polluting electric power companies collectively could pocket $9 billion every year under the wrong kind of cap-and-trade program—one that hands out emission credits free to companies based on past pollution levels.

One company alone—Ohio-based American Electric Power—could rake in more than a billion and a half dollars every year. AEP has been among the polluters that have lobbied in favor of free credits.

Talk about gall: The very companies that have polluted the upper atmosphere now want to be rewarded.

It would be unconscionable to reward their destructive behavior by simply giving them free credits—and windfall profits. The polluters should have to pay to clean up the mess they’ve made for us, and for future generations. .......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.tompaine.com/articles/2007/06/28/who_owns_the_sky.php

[The2ndWheel]

1. Whoever wants it more, and more importantly, has the means to get it

The same way it always has been, and ever shall be.