WHEREAS any “Carbon Tax” legislation or regulatory measures (including “Cap and Trade” or the “Clean Power Plan” promulgated pursuant to section 111 (d) of the Clean Air Act or other carbon-limiting requirements whether proposed by federal or state governments to address climate change would impose devastating economic costs on the populations of Western Colorado and the United States; and
WHEREAS Western Colorado has large deposits of the cleanest coal in the nation and abundant supplies of clean natural gas and uranium that provide millions of Americans with reliable affordable electricity; and
WHEREAS, proposed government actions could eliminate carbon-based fuels as a source of affordable electricity for businesses and consumers and
WHEREAS such carbon restrictions could send American jobs to countries with little or no greenhouse gas emissions restrictions; and
WHEREAS proposed government restrictions threaten to eliminate tens of thousands of high-wage jobs (in the mining sector alone); and
WHEREAS proposed carbon limits would increase electricity prices, saddling American businesses and families with higher energy bills; and
WHEREAS proposed carbon limits threaten to drive up costs for consumer goods, including base necessities, specifically food, and services, which would lower household disposable income by as much as $1,800 per year; and
WHEREAS proposed carbon limits ignore the need for increased development of all of our energy resources to meet the growing demand of our country; and
WHEREAS proposed carbon limits would drastically limit local governments from making critical decisions that affect the standard of living of their constituents;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that
- CLUB 20 supports solutions to address the argument of climate change which:
- Focus on innovative and commercially available technologies to foster the cleaner use of fossil fuels including clean coal technologies and carbon capture;
- Result in increasing our nation’s independence from foreign energy sources,
- Promote the equitable development of all sources of energy on the Western Slope,
- Promote the competitiveness of the United States of America on the world economic stage,
- Protect the interests of agriculture, industry, free enterprise, and ultimately the consumer,
- Encourage local investment and result in a net increase in good-paying domestic jobs.
- CLUB 20 opposes the adoption of climate change policies or rules which would increase costs for U.S. consumers and restrict the use of carbon based fuels until other nations adopt and enforce emissions standards equivalent to the U.S. in order to create a level playing field with a shared and equal commitment to reducing greenhouse gases.
Adopted 9/11/2009
Amended 4/1/2016