South Dakota:
Non-farm jobs lost in 2012: 407
Non-farm jobs lost in 2025: 1,667
Income lost in 2012: $48 million
Income lost in 2025: $234 million
Massachusetts:
Non-farm jobs lost in 2012: 3,232
Non-farm jobs lost in 2025: 13,229
Income lost in 2012: $557 million
Income lost in 2025: $2.7 billion
Illinois:
Non-farm jobs lost in 2012: 5,928
Non-farm jobs lost in 2025: 24,264
Income lost in 2012: $918 million
Income lost in 2025: $4.4 billion
Florida:
Non-farm jobs lost in 2012: 7,379
Non-farm jobs lost in 2025: 30,202
Income lost in 2012: $1.2 billion
Income lost in 2025: $6 billion
Arizona:
Non-farm jobs lost in 2012: 2,574
Non-farm jobs lost in 2025: 10,537
Income lost in 2012: $369 million
Income lost in 2025: $1.7 billion
Lieberman-Warner, by itself, also drives up the price of gasoline. By 2030, not a single state would see pump prices below $5 a gallon. Many would be at $5.50 and above, and one (Alaska) would be above $6.
But that’s just fine, as far as many environmentalists are concerned. They want all of us to pay more -- lots more -- for gasoline. Their theory is that most of us will ditch our cars and start taking buses and subways. Or riding our bikes to work. (Though, as Heritage’s Ben Lieberman has noted, gas prices of $8 a gallon have done little to curb driving in Europe. They just drive miniature cars -- and endure sluggish economies -- to ease the pain.)
There’s nothing wrong with traveling by bus, bike or subway. But should we be forced to make that choice by finger-wagging environmentalists -- in the name of dubious science and all to cool the earth by a tiny fraction of one degree … at best?
The list of ill effects in the Heritage study goes on and on. No state emerges unscathed. The only thing that changes from state to state is the amount of the damage.
And this, mind you, is what would occur under a mild bill. Mild, that is, by the standards of environmentalists who urge even more draconian measures to check the alleged global emergency posed by climate change. Indeed, some environmentalists have been criticizing the Lieberman-Warner bill for not going far enough.
And believe me, if this bill becomes law, they’ll be baaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!