St. Paul, MN - In October, the No Cap-and-Trade Coalition launched its campaign against cap-and-trade with a radio ad and new website (NoCapAndTrade.com) in Minnesota. Since its inception, the coalition has steadily added new members, including several national organizations. The group's website allows visitors to sign a petition against the Waxman-Markey cap and trade bill and the UN's proposed climate treaty expected to be debated in Copenhagen this December. The group is also promoting an educational program featuring the new global warming documentary film, "Not Evil, Just Wrong," with a growing list of scheduled events in many communities.
A four-minute YouTube video of Lord Christopher Monckton posted by coalition member group Minnesota Majority became an instant internet sensation and contributed to the rapid growth of the coalition. In the video-gone-viral, Monckton explained the danger posed by a potential cap and trade treaty to the US economy and sovereignty, urging the audience to oppose the treaty to be proposed and negotiated at the United Nations' upcoming Copenhagen conference.
The No Cap-and-Trade Coalition is now advocating a boycott against major companies who are supporting domestic cap and trade legislation or the Copenhagen conference. Companies targeted by the boycott include Google, Coca-Cola, Starbucks, Levi's, Timberland and others.
The group has been steadily raising money and just launched a television ad campaign.
The No Cap-and-Trade Coalition consists of several trade and industry groups and non-profit organizations who are concerned about the devastating impact a cap and trade scheme could have on American families and the faltering US economy. "We need energy to turn things around," explained Linda Runbeck of the Minnesota Free Market institute, "a massive new tax on energy is the last thing we need right now. Cap-and-trade would be destructive to our economy."
At the onset, cap and trade is projected to cost the average family over $1,700 per year in new energy costs, growing to over $6,000 per year by 2035. Independent analyses of cap and trade proposals project the loss of millions of additional jobs and trillions of dollars out of the nation's GDP. "Cap-and-trade is a huge tax on everything," said Minnesota Majority president Jeff Davis.
Proponents say that cap-and-trade will prevent 1/10th of a degree of warming in 100 years. "That doesn't seem like a very worthwhile investment," said John Charles, president of the Cascade Policy institute. "We'd be making extraordinary sacrifices over unproven, contested theories and even if you buy into carbon-driven global warming, the pay off is insignificant. It's not worth the cost."
The No Cap and Trade Coalition is an informal alliance of dozens of trade and industry groups and non-profit public policy organizations including: Associated Builders and Contractors, Freedom Foundation, Cascade Policy Institute, Center for the Defense of Free Enterprise, Minnesota Majority and Americans for Prosperity among others. For more info, please go www.NoCapAndTrade.com
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