[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 12]
[House]
[Page 16293]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      REJECT THE CAP-AND-TRADE TAX

  (Mr. DENT asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. DENT. Mr. Speaker, we just heard a speech a few moments ago about 
how jobs will be created through this national energy tax. Apparently 
those jobs will not be created in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 
any significant way. In fact, I would like to share with my friends and 
the American people a letter from the Pennsylvania Public Utility 
Commission, three of the five commissioners who wrote me and told me 
about the impacts of this legislation. They said, ``Pennsylvania is the 
fourth largest coal producer in the Nation, distributing over 75 
million tons of coal each year. Roughly 7 percent of the Nation's 
supply is in Pennsylvania and 58 percent of all electricity used here 
comes from coal. However, if the Waxman-Markey bill were to pass, 
Pennsylvania is looking at a bleak scenario by 2020; a net loss of as 
many as 66,000 jobs, a sizeable hike in electric bills of residential 
customers, an increase in national gas prices, and significant downward 
pressure on the State gross product. The cost estimates are 
staggering.'' Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.
  I urge my colleagues to reject this national energy tax. The 
industrial and agricultural heartland States of America will pay and 
will pay big. It's time that we reject this tax.

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