McDonnell Calls on Virginia Congressional Delegation to Vote No on Cap and Trade Bill

Date Published: 2009-06-30 09:05:00
By: Crystal Cameron

-Asks Creigh Deeds to Join Him in Bipartisan Effort to Protect Virginia Jobs-

 

Notes Op-Ed by MeadWestvaco Covington Facility Official Stating "If the ACES Act passes Congress, MeadWestvaco's Covington mill operations, which provide 1,500 jobs in the Alleghany Highlands, will definitely be one of the losers. The economic future for our area will be severely impacted."

 

FARMVILLE, June 26, 2009 - Bob McDonnell, Republican gubernatorial nominee and former Attorney General of Virginia, called on Virginia's Congressional Delegation to vote no on Cap and Trade legislation coming before the House of Representatives. The "American Clean Energy and Security Act" (H.R. 2454) would implement a severe limit on the amount of carbon emissions by American energy facilities. The restrictions would lead to dramatically higher energy prices for American consumers and businesses and the exportation of American jobs overseas. One study finds that the average household will pay $1200 more per year if cap and trade legislation is enacted. The formal statement of Bob McDonnell is below.

 

Statement of Bob McDonnell on Federal Cap and Trade Legislation

 

"Virginia's unemployment rate is 7.1%. Just yesterday we learned that the Volvo Trucks North America facility in Pulaski County will be downsizing and cutting jobs in the process. In this tough environment we don't need any further impediments to job creation and economic growth in the Commonwealth. The federal cap and trade legislation, if passed, would lead to job losses in Virginia, and higher energy bills for all Virginians. We literally cannot afford for this legislation to be enacted."

 

"All across Virginia, employers are worried about the impact of this legislation. Yesterday in The Richmond Times-Dispatch, Mark George, Vice President of MeadWestvaco's facility in Covington, warned that if this legislation is enacted, '... MeadWestvaco's Covington mill operations, which provide 1,500 jobs in the Alleghany Highlands, will definitely be one of the losers. The economic future for our area will be severely impacted.'"

 

"The Covington facility is a major employer in the state senate district of my opponent in this gubernatorial campaign. Today I urge Creigh Deeds to join me in requesting that our congressional delegation vote no on cap and trade. As candidates for governor, we have an obligation to make our positions known on legislation that will have a significant impact on the Commonwealth. Virginia jobs are on the line. I call on the members of Virginia's Congressional Delegation to put the interests of Virginia's workers ahead of the big special interests pushing this misguided policy. And I hope Creigh will join me in making this a bipartisan effort on behalf of Virginia's workers."

 

June 25, 2009 Richmond Times-Dispatch Column by Mark George, Vice-President of MeadWestvaco's Covington Facility, is below

 

http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/op_ed/article/ED-MEADFIN25_20090624-181005/276090

 

Kill the Climate Bill: Legislation Ignores Critical Factors

 

MARK GEORGE GUEST COLUMNIST

Published: June 25, 2009

 

COVINGTON The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote -- possibly as early as tomorrow -- on the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES Act, H.R. 2454). This bill is intended to ad dress the issue of global climate change by placing substantial restrictions on U.S. manufacturers, especially energy-intensive facilities such as MeadWestvaco's Covington mill. The bill is seriously flawed, unfair, and would impose exorbitant costs on the American economy.

 

The Covington mill is a state-of-the-art facility that makes paperboard packaging and specialty chemicals used all around the world, and do so in a manner that is energy-efficient and environmentally-conscious. More than 50 percent of the mill's output is shipped overseas, making us one of the commonwealth's leading exporters. Since 2000, MeadWestvaco has reduced carbon dioxide emissions at its major manufacturing plants by 17 percent. At Covington, we have increased our use of carbon-neutral biomass-based energy by over 6 percent from 2005 to 2008. Nearly two-thirds of the company's energy for its mills is self-generated from renewable, carbon-neutral wood resources.

 

THESE VOLUNTARY actions demonstrate MeadWestvaco's strong commitment to achieving greater energy efficiency and to addressing the issue of climate change, and we recognize that more must be done. For manufacturers that must rely on fossil fuels (coal, natural gas, etc.), the next step must be a comprehensive policy that deals with both energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. We believe the best way to focus on energy use and climate change is by working together, addressing the environmental, technological, energy, and economic factors that will determine success in a practical time frame.

 

The ACES Act is flawed because it ignores all of these critical factors. It is too complex to implement, too reliant on technologies that do not yet exist, too expensive for businesses to afford and remain competitive, and too narrowly focused on domestic emissions to reduce the overall global impact of climate change. If the U.S. is expected to commit to the provisions of this legislation without competing economies such as Brazil, China, and India making similar commitments, the American economy, and high-paying manufacturing jobs, will be in serious jeopardy.

 

The bill is fundamentally unfair because it would place facilities like the Covington mill at a significant competitive disadvantage. It would impose drastic new costs on emissions from fossil fuels (with insufficient credit for the reductions we have already made voluntarily or our large use of carbon-neutral biomass to produce a large portion of our power needs).

 

The bill also fails to recognize or address the complex energy requirements of an operation like the Covington mill. It does not realistically address the reliance of the Covington mill and other such industrial facilities on coal -- which even in transition will remain an important energy source for years. As currently conceived, the bill essentially allows Congress to pick winners and losers in a high-stakes energy experiment.

 

IF THE ACES Act passes Congress, MeadWestvaco's Covington mill operations, which provide 1,500 jobs in the Alleghany Highlands, will definitely be one of the losers. The economic future for our area will be severely impacted.

 

We strongly urge Virginia's congressional delegation to oppose this flawed and unfair legislation, and support our company, employees, and communities in which we operate by voting against the ACES Act. Then we can turn our attention to a comprehensive energy and climate change policy that preserves our ability to compete while continuing to protect our shared environment.

 

Mark George is the vice president of MeadWestvaco's Covington operations. Contact him at (540) 969-5000.

Section: Politics,