Energy Chief Open to a Carbon Trade War
Iain Tally & Tom Barkley, Wall Street Journal, 18 March 2009

Energy Secretary Steven Chu on Tuesday advocated adjusting trade duties as a “weapon” to protect U.S. manufacturing, just a day after one of China’s top climate envoys warned of a trade war if developed countries impose tariffs on carbon-intensive imports.

[N.B. Read commentary on carbon tariffs from CEI’s Fran Smith at www.globalwarming.org]

China Responds to Chu’s Threat of Trade War
Michael Forsythe, Bloomberg, 19 March 2009

China’s top negotiator on climate change said a U.S. proposal to impose duties on imports with countries that don’t try to limit their carbon emissions was “an excuse to impose trade restrictions.”

Climate Hype: Let the Backlash Begin
Iain Murray, DC Examiner Opinion Zone, 17 March 2009

Environmentalists and their allies in the Administration were stunned by the news last week that skepticism about the effects of global warming is growing.  With complete domination of both the mainstream media and the political institutions by true believers in global warming, the news from Gallup that 44 percent of Americans believe that global warming has been exaggerated must have come as a shock.  Yet last week’s news contained two good examples of why this should be, and why the debate that Al Gore claims is over may only just be starting.

White House Admits Cap-and-Trade Costs Triple Their Initial Estimate
Phil Kerpin, Fox News, 17 March 2009

I’ve already explained here on the Forum how the cap-and-trade energy tax works, and would be the biggest tax increase in the history of the country. Now, amazingly, the White House is telling something closer to the truth about this tax hike, admitting that the official budget estimate of $646 billion over 8 years-already a mighty steep price to pay-is far, far lower than the real cost.