RESEARCH PAPERS: Kirsten Engel touted radical California polices that sent gas prices soaring

New reporting shows Kirsten Engel “continuously touted radical California energy policies, such as cap-and-trade, over the years in papers she wrote.”

A recap: 

• In 2006, she published a paper calling California “a leader on climate change mitigation.” She touted the state’s radical cap-and-trade program, California’s strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The cap-and-trade program was established by Golden State’s AB 32 legislation and could raise gas prices by 73 cents per gallon and raise the cost of electricity. In fact, Engel specifically cited AB 32 on the first page.

• In 2007, in another paper, Engel noted that “local governments, not the federal government… have taken the lead on climate change policy initiatives,” citing California for  “leading the way” on climate change initiatives by enacting a cap upon the state’s carbon emissions. Engel also cited AB32 again.

• In 2011, in another paper published by Engel, she touted California’s gas cap-and-trade program. In the article, she criticized Congress for not being able to enact climate legislation, making states seek their own approval to “meet climate change-related standards through programs that the states themselves have pioneered,” such as cap-and-trade.

It was previously reported that Kirsten Engel advocated for increasing driving usage fees saying “We’re never going to get rid of the car in the driveway, but we can make it a pain to drive.” 

NRCC COMMENT: “Extreme Kirsten Engel has time and again advocated to increase fees and taxes to make it harder for Arizonans to afford the price of gas. Arizonans can’t trust Engel to represent their best interests in Congress.” – NRCC Spokeswoman Torunn Sinclair