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Rafuse to Congress: A Job is a Job, No Matter the Color
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 20, 2009
Energy expert warns Washington policymakers of 'green' job pitfalls, calls for policy that promotes innovation and economic growth
ALEXANDRIA, Va. - The energy and environment set on Capitol Hill is busily preparing for both the release next week of the U.S. Senate's revised climate bill and the 40th anniversary of Earth Day this Thursday. As advocates of cap-and-trade and its ability to stimulate the economy with seemingly countless "green" jobs tout these events, however, Jack Rafuse, principal of the Rafuse Organization, is urging lawmakers to step back and examine exactly what cap-and-trade and this push for new, "green" jobs really mean for the American economy:
"Some of our lawmakers are making the case that the revised climate bill expected from the Senate next week will be the answer for our crippled job market. However, pushing for government-subsidized 'green' jobs in the renewable energy sector at the expense of other traditional jobs will simply not get us to where we need to be. In fact, traditional jobs provided by our domestic oil and natural gas industry are one of the best avenues to ease the American economy's current woes."
Rafuse continues, "Take, for example, the fact that the U.S. oil and natural gas sector created more than 2 million jobs between 2004 and 2007, right here in America. This is in stark contrast to the Senate's current favoring of green technology - such as wind and solar - that stands to benefit mainly Western European countries that will make most of the solar cells and wind turbines needed to meet the climate legislation's goals. Furthermore, America's oil and natural gas companies are already implementing the innovative policies that are leading the charge in emissions mitigation. For instance, from 2000 to 2008, our conventional energy companies have invested a staggering 58 billion dollars in greenhouse gas-cutting technologies - that's more than the government and all other private industry have spent combined.
"'Green' jobs should not be favored in any legislation that disadvantages industries, such as the oil and natural gas industry, that already have a proven track record of creating millions of sound, well-paying jobs. Congress should, therefore, re-group and negotiate a solution to our energy and environment challenges that promotes growth across the entire economy. And that means first recognizing that a new job is a new job, regardless of its color."
FOLLOW THE RAFUSE ORGANIZATION ON TWITTER: @TheRafuseOrg.
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April 20, 2009
Energy expert warns Washington policymakers of 'green' job pitfalls, calls for policy that promotes innovation and economic growth
ALEXANDRIA, Va. - The energy and environment set on Capitol Hill is busily preparing for both the release next week of the U.S. Senate's revised climate bill and the 40th anniversary of Earth Day this Thursday. As advocates of cap-and-trade and its ability to stimulate the economy with seemingly countless "green" jobs tout these events, however, Jack Rafuse, principal of the Rafuse Organization, is urging lawmakers to step back and examine exactly what cap-and-trade and this push for new, "green" jobs really mean for the American economy:
"Some of our lawmakers are making the case that the revised climate bill expected from the Senate next week will be the answer for our crippled job market. However, pushing for government-subsidized 'green' jobs in the renewable energy sector at the expense of other traditional jobs will simply not get us to where we need to be. In fact, traditional jobs provided by our domestic oil and natural gas industry are one of the best avenues to ease the American economy's current woes."
Rafuse continues, "Take, for example, the fact that the U.S. oil and natural gas sector created more than 2 million jobs between 2004 and 2007, right here in America. This is in stark contrast to the Senate's current favoring of green technology - such as wind and solar - that stands to benefit mainly Western European countries that will make most of the solar cells and wind turbines needed to meet the climate legislation's goals. Furthermore, America's oil and natural gas companies are already implementing the innovative policies that are leading the charge in emissions mitigation. For instance, from 2000 to 2008, our conventional energy companies have invested a staggering 58 billion dollars in greenhouse gas-cutting technologies - that's more than the government and all other private industry have spent combined.
"'Green' jobs should not be favored in any legislation that disadvantages industries, such as the oil and natural gas industry, that already have a proven track record of creating millions of sound, well-paying jobs. Congress should, therefore, re-group and negotiate a solution to our energy and environment challenges that promotes growth across the entire economy. And that means first recognizing that a new job is a new job, regardless of its color."
FOLLOW THE RAFUSE ORGANIZATION ON TWITTER: @TheRafuseOrg.
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Labels: climate bill, Congress, Earth Day, green jobs, jobs, oil and gas
Read more!Thursday, February 4, 2010
New Energy Taxes, Last Thing U.S. Economy Needs
Energy expert warns new taxes on American energy companies in White House budget proposal would stifle economic recovery, slow job creation, hurt investors
WASHINGTON -- Although President Obama promised a renewed focus on growing the economy and creating jobs during last week's State of the Union address, his 2011 budget proposal delivered to Congress Monday includes new energy taxes that will do the exact opposite. Responding to these potentially harmful proposals, Jack Rafuse, principal of the Rafuse Organization, released the following statement:
"The Administration's new federal budget proposal aims to deny the oil and natural gas industry a tax deduction allowed to all manufacturing companies. This move would levy an incredible burden on American businesses, workers and households.
"For example, according to the Energy Policy Research Foundation, approximately 18 percent of our domestic oil production comes from 83 percent of America's oil wells. A lot of this oil is produced by small, independent companies. New taxes on our domestic energy industry would hit those producers the hardest, drying up the cas flow that they depend on.
"Moreover, the U.S. oil and natural gas industry currently supports 9.2 million jobs nationwide. The proposed new energy taxes could force a lot of these hard-working Americans to join the already very large number of our country's unemployed. And, if these new taxes are implemented, everyday investors stand to lose, too. Retail investors -- plus the IRAs, mutual funds and pension plans that retirees are counting on -- own more than 93 percent of America's publically-traded oil and natural gas companies. Adding to the tax burden of these energy companies simply means subtracting investor savings.
"We need creative ideas to get our economy back on track and people back to work. Levying new taxes on America's energy companies is certainly not one of them."
Follow Jack Rafuse on Twitter: @TheRafuseOrg
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WASHINGTON -- Although President Obama promised a renewed focus on growing the economy and creating jobs during last week's State of the Union address, his 2011 budget proposal delivered to Congress Monday includes new energy taxes that will do the exact opposite. Responding to these potentially harmful proposals, Jack Rafuse, principal of the Rafuse Organization, released the following statement:
"The Administration's new federal budget proposal aims to deny the oil and natural gas industry a tax deduction allowed to all manufacturing companies. This move would levy an incredible burden on American businesses, workers and households.
"For example, according to the Energy Policy Research Foundation, approximately 18 percent of our domestic oil production comes from 83 percent of America's oil wells. A lot of this oil is produced by small, independent companies. New taxes on our domestic energy industry would hit those producers the hardest, drying up the cas flow that they depend on.
"Moreover, the U.S. oil and natural gas industry currently supports 9.2 million jobs nationwide. The proposed new energy taxes could force a lot of these hard-working Americans to join the already very large number of our country's unemployed. And, if these new taxes are implemented, everyday investors stand to lose, too. Retail investors -- plus the IRAs, mutual funds and pension plans that retirees are counting on -- own more than 93 percent of America's publically-traded oil and natural gas companies. Adding to the tax burden of these energy companies simply means subtracting investor savings.
"We need creative ideas to get our economy back on track and people back to work. Levying new taxes on America's energy companies is certainly not one of them."
Follow Jack Rafuse on Twitter: @TheRafuseOrg
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Labels: budget, energy taxes, jobs, natural gas, oil, President Obama
Read more!Friday, January 8, 2010
New U.S. Employment Statistics Underscore Need for Increased Energy Access
In light of the U.S. Labor Department's release today of its December jobs report - yet another analysis showing Americans still face a double-digit unemployment rate - energy expert Jack Rafuse, principal of the Rafuse Organization, released the following statement:
"Today's new jobs report illustrates once again that we need to find new and innovative ways to get Americans back to work. Luckily, one of the best solutions lies just right off our coasts.
"Unlike other stimulus plans that rely on tax dollars, the benefits of increased offshore activity wouldn't depend on taxpayer funding. By utilizing the more than over 440 trillion cubic feet of natural gas located right of the U.S. coast, domestic energy companies would create tens of thousands of well-paying, long-lasting job opportunities while contributing billions to our economy.
"But, unfortunately, policymakers on Capitol Hill, at the Interior Department and elsewhere continue to block access to the abundant and affordable natural gas reserves we have here right at our door. If these valuable resources were not locked away offshore under federal control, they would enable our energy companies to employ thousands of people in what continues to be the harshest employment climate since the Great Depression.
"The Labor Department's report shows that our economy shed another 85,000 jobs last month. This news brings the total number of job losses to more than 8 million since the recession started in 2008. Therefore, I urge policymakers to remember that blocking access to our domestic natural gas resources means blocking job growth. And that's something now that America's families simply cannot afford."
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"Today's new jobs report illustrates once again that we need to find new and innovative ways to get Americans back to work. Luckily, one of the best solutions lies just right off our coasts.
"Unlike other stimulus plans that rely on tax dollars, the benefits of increased offshore activity wouldn't depend on taxpayer funding. By utilizing the more than over 440 trillion cubic feet of natural gas located right of the U.S. coast, domestic energy companies would create tens of thousands of well-paying, long-lasting job opportunities while contributing billions to our economy.
"But, unfortunately, policymakers on Capitol Hill, at the Interior Department and elsewhere continue to block access to the abundant and affordable natural gas reserves we have here right at our door. If these valuable resources were not locked away offshore under federal control, they would enable our energy companies to employ thousands of people in what continues to be the harshest employment climate since the Great Depression.
"The Labor Department's report shows that our economy shed another 85,000 jobs last month. This news brings the total number of job losses to more than 8 million since the recession started in 2008. Therefore, I urge policymakers to remember that blocking access to our domestic natural gas resources means blocking job growth. And that's something now that America's families simply cannot afford."
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Labels: gas, jobs, OCS, Unemployment
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