The U.S. Senate-bound American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (note Editorial, page 4) establishes a cap-and-trade system to limit carbon dioxide
CP Staff
The U.S. Senate-bound American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (note Editorial) establishes a cap-and-trade system to limit carbon dioxide emissions from power plants, cement producers and other industrial sources that rely on fossil fuel combustion. Targeted emissions reductions assure steep cement price increases.
The late-June passage of the Act in the House drew sharp criticism from industry. Democratic leaders managed to squeeze the 1,510-page energy-rationing bill through the House, noted Competitive Enterprise Institute’s Myron Ebell. Once people find out what’s in it, the bill will become an embarrassment to everyone who voted for it÷ I congratulate Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) and Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) for their magnificent leadership against the bill.
Rep. Barton’s 6th Congressional District encompasses Midlothian, where Ash Grove Texas, Holcim (US) Inc. and TXI operations make up one of the country’s largest cement milling centers. A Concrete Products and Cement Americas analysis of voting reveals that representatives with cement interests in their district voted against the Act by a 2-to-1 margin. While most House members voted along party lines, a great number of the 44 Democrats who voted against the act have cement properties in their district. None of the eight Republicans supporting the Act represent districts with cement mills.
WAXMAN-MARKEY CLEAN ENERGY ACT – VOTES BY REPRESENTATIVES OF CEMENT-PRODUCING DISTRICTS
| Representative | Yea | Nay | Plant, city |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artur Davis (D-AL) | X | Cemex, Demopolis | |
| Jo Bonner (R-AL) | X | Holcim, Theodore | |
| Spencer Bachus (R-AL) | X | Lafarge Roberta, Calera | |
| Lehigh, Leeds | |||
| Mike Rogers (R-AL) | X | National, Ragland | |
| Mike Ross (D-AR) | X | Ash Grove, Foreman | |
| Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) | X | California Portland, Rillito | |
| Ann Kirkpatrick (D-AZ) | X | Salt River, Clarkdale | |
| Joe Baca (D-CA) | X | California Portland, Colton | |
| Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) | X | California Portland, Mojave | |
| Lehigh, Tehachapi | |||
| Anna Eshoo (D-CA) | X | Cemex, Davenport | |
| Hanson Permanente, Cupertino | |||
| Wally Herger (R-CA) | X | Lehigh, Redding | |
| Jerry Lewis (R-CA) | X | Mitsubishi, Lucerne Valley | |
| National, Lebec | |||
| Texas Industries, Oro Grande | |||
| Ken Calvert (R-CA) | X | Texas Industries, Riverside | |
| Jared Polis (D-CO) | X | Cemex, Lyons | |
| Doug Lamborn (R-CO) | X | Holcim Portland, Florence | |
| John Salazar (D-CO) | X | GCC Rio Grande, Pueblo | |
| Virginia Brown-Waite (R-FL) | X | Cemex, Brooksville | |
| Cemex, Brooksville South | |||
| Kendrick Meek (D-FL) | X | Cemex, Miami | |
| Titan Florida, Medley | |||
| Allen Boyd (D-FL) | X | Suwannee American, Branford | |
| Cliff Stearns (R-FL) | X | Vulcan Materials, Newberry | |
| Jack Kingston (R-GA) | X | Cemex, Clinchfield | |
| Mike Simpson (R-ID) | X | Ash Grove, Inkom | |
| Brad Ellsworth (D-IN) | X | Buzzi Unicem, Greencastle | |
| Joe Donnelly (D-IN) | X | Essroc, Logansport | |
| Baron Hill (D-IN) | X | Essroc, Speed | |
| Steve Buyer (R-IN) | X | Lehigh, Mitchell | |
| Debbie Halvorsen (D-IL) | X | Buzzi Unicem, Olgesby | |
| Illinois Cement, LaSalle | |||
| Bill Foster (D-IL) | X | St. Marys, Dixon | |
| Tom Latham (R-IA) | X | Holcim, Mason City | |
| Lehigh, Mason City | |||
| Bruce Braley (D-IA) | X | Lafarge, Davenport | |
| Lynn Jenkins (R-KS) | X | Ash Grove, Chanute | |
| Lafarge, Fredonia | |||
| Monarch, Humboldt | |||
| John Yarmuth (D-KY) | X | Cemex/Buzzi Unicem, Louisville | |
| Chellie Pingree (D-ME) | X | Giant, Thomaston | |
| Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD) | X | Essroc, Frederick | |
| Holcim, Hagerstown | |||
| Lehigh, Union Bridge | |||
| John Dingell (D-MI) | X | Holcim, Dundee | |
| Bart Stupak (D-MI) | X | Lafarge, Alpena | |
| St. Marys, Charlevoix | |||
| Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO) | X | Buzzi Unicem, Cape Girardeau | |
| Russ Carnahan (D-MO) | X | Buzzi Unicem, Festus | |
| Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) | X | Lafarge, Sugar Creek | |
| Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO) | X | Continental, Hannibal | |
| Holcim, Clarksville | |||
| Travis Childers (D-MS) | X | Holcim, Artesia | |
| Dennis Rehberg (R-MT) | X | Ash Grove, Clancy | |
| Holcim Trident, Three Forks | |||
| Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE) | X | Ash Grove, Louisville | |
| Dean Heller (R-NV) | X | Nevada, Fernley | |
| Dina Titus (D-NV) | X | Royal, Logandale | |
| Martin Heinrich (D-NM) | X | GCC Rio Grande, Tijeras | |
| Scott Murphy (D-NY) | X | Holcim, Catskill | |
| Lehigh, Glens Falls | |||
| Paul Tonko (D-NY) | X | Lafarge, Ravena | |
| Steve Austria (R-OH) | X | Cemex Fairborn, Xenia | |
| Robert Latta (R-OH) | X | Lafarge, Paulding | |
| Dan Boren (D-OK) | X | Buzzi Unicem, Pryor | |
| John Sullivan (R-OK) | [no vote] | Lafarge, Tulsa | |
| Tom Cole (R-OK) | X | Holcim, Ada | |
| Greg Walden (R-OR) | X | Ash Grove, Durkee | |
| John Murtha (D-PA) | X | Armstrong, Cabot | |
| Charles Dent (R-PA) | X | Buzzi Unicem, Stockertown | |
| Essroc, Nazareth | |||
| Giant-Keystone, Bath | |||
| Lafarge, Whitehall | |||
| Jason Altmire (D-PA) | X | Essroc, Bessemer Cemex, Wampum | |
| Tim Holden (D-PA) | X | Lehigh Evansville, Fleetwood | |
| Todd Platts (R-PA) | X | Lehigh White, York | |
| James Clyburn (D-SC) | X | Giant, Harleyville | |
| Lafarge, Harleyville | |||
| Holcim, Holly Hill | |||
| Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-SD) | X | GCC Dacotah, Rapid City | |
| Zach Wamp (R-TN) | X | Buzzi Unicem, Chattanooga | |
| John Duncan, Jr. (R-TN) | X | Cemex, Knoxville | |
| Charles A. Gonzalez (D-TX) | X | Alamo, San Antonio | |
| Capitol Aggregates, San Antonio | |||
| Joe Barton (R-TX) | X | Ash Grove Texas, Midlothian | |
| Holcim, Midlothian | |||
| Texas Industries, Midlothian | |||
| Michael Conaway (R-TX) | X | Cemex, Odessa | |
| Lamar Smit (R-TX) | X | Cemex Balcones, New Braunfels | |
| Texas Ind., Hunter Cement, | |||
| New Braunfels | |||
| Randy Neugebauer (R-TX) | X | Buzzi Unicem, Maryneal | |
| Chet Edwards (D-TX) | X | Lehigh White, Waco | |
| Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) | X | Texas Lehigh, Buda | |
| Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) | X | Ash Grove Leamington, Nephi | |
| Rob Bishop (R-UT) | X | Holcim Devil’s Slide, Morgan | |
| Robert C. Scott (D-VA) | X | Kerneos, Norfolk | |
| Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) | X | Roanoke, Troutville | |
| Frank Wolf (R-VA) | X | Riverton, Front Royal | |
| Jim McDermott (D-WA) | X | Lafarge, Seattle | |
| Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) | X | Essroc, Martinsburg | |
| Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) | X | Mountain, Laramie | |
|
* Environmental Protection Agency estimates as cited by Harvard Professor Martin Feldstein |
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