Day 5 of Tricky Nick Rahall’s Cap-and-Trade love

It’s been a busy day in Rahall world what with local news exposing his Massey Energy hypocrisy. But we’re not going to forget our final installment of Tricky Nick Rahall’s cap-and-trade support. Check out the first four installments here, here, here, and here.

Today’s final piece looks at Rahall’s 2007 vote to establish and fund mandatory GHG reporting requirements under the EPA, an essential part of cap-and-trade (HR 2764). Here’s some more background on what Rahall supported with his vote.

• “The fiscal year 2008 (FY2008) Consolidated Appropriations Act, signed on December 26, 2007, authorized funding for EPA to…‘require mandatory reporting of greenhouse gas emissions above appropriate thresholds in all sectors of the economy of the United States.’” (Federal Register, Vol. 74, No. 209, I. Background, B. Background on the Final Rule, 10/30/09)

• “U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer (both D-Calif.) today announced that the Omnibus Appropriations bill includes a measure they sponsored to establish economy-wide reporting of greenhouse gas emissions, an essential first step towards reducing global warming emissions through a cap-and-trade system.” (Office of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, 12/21/07)

• “…a greenhouse gas registry that would establish a comprehensive federal reporting system for monitoring greenhouse gas emissions. Such a program is widely viewed as a critical step toward implementing federal climate change regulations.” (Energy and Environment News, 6/10/09)

• “The primary goal of the mandatory reporting program is to provide EPA with comprehensive and accurate baseline data to inform future national climate change policies, including research and development initiatives, economic incentives, new or expanded voluntary programs, adaptation strategies, emissions standards, a carbon tax or a cap-and-trade program.” (Katherine Crockett, Independent Oil and Gas Association of West Virginia newsletter, April 2009)

I guess that is what happens when you surround yourself with an anti-coal staff like Rahall has.