Inhofe Slams Duke Energy CEO For Favoring Carbon Tax

[hatrack]

Favoring a federal tax on carbon dioxide emissions has earned Duke Energy Corp. Chief Executive Paul Anderson a sharp rebuke from the powerful chairman of the U.S. Senate's main energy policy committee.

"Duke Energy has fallen victim today to the scare tactics of the extreme environmental left on the issue of climate change," Sen. James Inhofe, an Oklahoma Republican, said in a statement. "The United States Senate is standing on firmer ground than ever against mandating reductions of carbon dioxide, which would effectively throw our nation into an economic depression."

Anderson startled many by making a passionate case for a mandatory, economywide, federal carbon tax in a Charlotte speech in April. He addressed the issue again Wednesday in a conference call with analysts to discuss the company's first-quarter performance. Americans need to get used to paying more for energy in order to cut air pollution and slow global warming trends, he said. But Anderson also predicted nothing will happen until at least 2009 because of the Bush administration's staunch opposition energy-related taxes.

EDIT

Inhofe does not believe the evidence on global warming is conclusive and fears higher taxes will drive jobs out of the United States, says Will Hart, spokesman for the Senate environment committee. "He believes that we shouldn't handicap the U.S. economy based on conflicting scientific theories."

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http://www.mlive.com/business/ambizdaily/bizjournals/index.ssf?/base/abd-1/11156136003670.xml

[Inland]

1. Well, bless Anderson's CEO heart! nt

[IrateCitizen]

2. Has anybody drilled Inhofe's head for oil yet???

I'm just wondering, because there sure as hell isn't any gray matter being used up there!

I swear, that guy has to be the dumbest person in the Senate, if not in Washington DC. Oklahomans -- my heart really goes out to you....