Where Does John McCain Stand on Cap and Trade, Asks Bob Barr

“Sen. John McCain has been one of the strongest Senate supporters of job-killing proposals for so-called cap and trade, which would dramatically cut American energy use, and thus economic growth. But some of his supporters say that he’s dropped the idea. Where does John McCain stand?”, asks Bob Barr, the Libertarian Party candidate for president.

Concerns over climate change have become an excuse for imposing draconian new regulations on the economy. “Until now Sen. John McCain has taken the lead, along with Sen. Joe Lieberman and others, in advancing legislation that would push the American economy into a permanent recession,” explains Barr. The most extreme proposals, rejected by the Senate, would cut American energy use by 70 percent by the year 2050. “Where does John McCain stand?”, asks Bob Barr.

“The science of climate change is extraordinarily complicated. Contrary to past predictions, average temperatures have not increased over the last decade,” explains Barr. “It makes far more sense to use American ingenuity and technology to adapt to future changes in the climate than to wreck the economy in order to prevent temperature increases that may never occur.”

In promoting cap and trade, Sen. McCain demonstrated that “he failed to understand that impoverishing America will actually make it harder to protect the environment,” notes Barr. “But perhaps he has rediscovered good old American common sense. Where does John McCain stand? The American people deserve to know.”