What has flown under the radar ... as an Energy Bill commonly known as “Cap and Trade” is really a huge tax on taxpayers.

During the Bush administration, we doubled our use of solar and wind energy. Obama proposes that we again double our use of wind and solar energy. That brings the country’s total use of solar and wind, as a percentage of total energy used by the U.S., to 1/3 of 1 percent. This is a drop in the bucket of gasoline we use.

Huge finds in the northeast and in Texas and Louisiana can potentially extend natural gas energy output by decades. Natural gas is the cleanest burning fossil fuel. If we keep using coal, we have hundreds of years of energy to heat factories and homes. Using existing sources will buy us time to implement fuel cells, solar for homes, hydrogen, nuclear and conversion of diesel 18-wheelers to natural gas. Coal and natural gas are cheaper to procure than solar and wind.

The Cap and Trade bill will require utility companies to pay an excise tax (trade) if they are unable to keep carbon emissions standards down (Cap). What you are going to see in 2010 is a substantial increase in electricity and gas bills. This year what we’ll see the biggest tax bill yet....

We cannot afford this kind of tax increase when we can buy some time and use energy that is more economic.... Call Senators Harkin and Grassley to refute passage of another tax bill that will lull us deeper in this recession.

Bob Kramer

Ottumwa