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Climate Chains
Released October 2009

One of the highest priorities of the curr...

Climate Chains
Released October 2009

One of the highest priorities of the current federal administration is to pass legislation limiting human emitted greenhouse emissions, based on the belief that reducing these emissions will lead to measurable declines in global temperatures. A bill to implement this policy, the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, passed the House earlier this year by a narrow margin and, on September 30th, the Senate Committee released its version of the bill named the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act.

Unfortunately, most Americans are not aware of what a cap-and-trade program is, other than what they hear from advocates of the program who also speak about creating “green” jobs, providing energy security and reducing “pollution.” The truth is, cap-and-trade is a complex energy tax (essentially an energy-rationing scheme) that affects all levels of production and economic activity.

A national cap-and-trade program will cause significant financial burdens on Oregonians, decrease economic growth, and lead to no measurable change in global temperatures or global emission levels.

Because of both the lack of environmental benefits and the substantial costs associated with climate legislation, Cascade Policy Institute is spearheading a video campaign to educate politicians and the American public about the dangers of implementing a federal cap-and-trade program.

After months of interviews featuring policy analysts, writers, economists, scientists and activists, Cascade Policy Institute has finished Climate Chains, a 22-minute documentary that exposes extreme environmentalism and the misguided pursuit of cap-and-trade legislation. Climate Chains not only explains the dangers of this legislation but offers an alternative to top-down regulation in the form of free market environmentalism.