IDS 2: Environmental Act (failed override)

[Flake]

IDS Environmental Act
1. The average fuel efficiency for new cars and automobiles sold in the IDS will be 50 mpg by the year 2020, average new car efficiency increasing by 5 miles per gallon per year.
2. The IDS will invest heavily in renewable resources, getting the region to be powered 50% by clean energy by 2020.
3. This will happen through tax breaks and regional subsidies;

• up to 60% of cost paid by regional government for solar panels
• up to 50% of cost paid by regional government for wind turbines
• up to 40% of cost paid by regional government for all other renewable resources

4. Regional government must print on 50%+ recycled paper.
5. Minimum fuel efficiency standards for new appliances and air conditioners must be increased by 50% by 2020.

Now let me start this off by saying: I want to keep these standards but I am open to lengthening the timeline of implementation.

[Maxwell]

Tomorrow i'll read some of the federal bills and see if there's any overlap here (and link them here so yall could look as well).

I'll let you speak your piece before I speak mine against this bill

[Flake]

I'll let you speak your piece before I speak mine against this bill

Thank you (:

Everyone on this site should know I'm an avid environmentalist, I have always believed we need tougher environmental regulations and that climate change is a real thing caused by human beings. Right now the world's CO2 levels is nearly 396 parts per million, not once in the 800,000 years before the modern era has CO2 emissions go above 300 parts per million, that it's nearly 400 ppm is an atrocity, but I believe we can deal with it.

It takes carbon dioxide emissions between 50 and 200 years to get into the atmosphere, that is, of course, a very long time. That means that even if we stop all of our emissions right now, the total would still climb for a lifetime or two.

Unfortunately, our generation does not have the luxury of saying "It's your problem now" to the next generations. This is a problem we must solve now.

The IDS has a population of about 90 million people, this is a significant chunk of the population of Atlasia, and this country, with about 5% of the worlds population but 17% of the total CO2 emissions, something has to be done to lower them. We have a responsibility to future generations and the rest of the world to be the leaders of a new era of efficiency.

The IDS is also ground zero when the effects of climate change start to become larger and more uncontrollable. One of our states in real life, North Carolina, passed a law that said climate change couldn't affect them. Unlike North Carolina and their ingenious bill, we must do some tough things to get change done.

Let's say the Greenland ice sheet melts, this sounds far fetched, but some scientists estimate that all ice in the arctic could melt during summer. This alone will make sea levels rise by seven meters. Seven meters doesn't sound like much on a global scale, but the damage might not be reversible. Here is a map of our region if the Greenland ice sheet melts.



We see many major cities being flooded, and some being completely wiped out.

Corpus Christi, Galveston, Gulfport, Mobile, Charleston, and Wilmington will see flooding and some of those cities will be uninhabitable for humans for hundreds, if not, thousands of years if we don't change our act. We haven't even touched Florida and Louisiana. My home state, and the Governor's state, are the hardest hit by sea level rise. Look at southern Louisiana, look at New Orleans. The famous bayous, Mardi Gras, and look at Florida. The water goes as far inland as Lake Okeechobee and Marion County. Daytona, Titusville, Boca Raton, all underwater. Florida will no longer have the everglades. The ecological damage will not be fixed for years to come.

Of course, we must balance the environment with the economy, if I could implement these changes now, I would, but it's not smart to put thousands of workers out of a job and destroy complete industries, that's why I said I'm open to lengthening the deadline so people and companies can adjust to the changes in a way not so sudden. I understand it would be extremely difficult and costly to redo our entire energy grid, but I think these changes are necessary to protect us and to protect the rest of the world. That's why I won't settle for anything less than these goals.

Our region has the potential to lead the country and the world in being clean, we also can make our air and water cleaner, which can lead to lower healthcare costs, we can create thousands of jobs with the mass production of clean air technology we can help developing nations create efficient technologies that won't break a budget, and we can be an example for the world of what what can be done.

[Flake]

bump

[Maxwell]

Omnibus Green Energy Policy Act

I'm linking federal law here so that we don't overlap.

[Flake]

It doesn't seem to overlap rather than cover up some holes in my bill imo.

[Maxwell]

I think this bill goes too far in terms of improvements, requiring the average to go up by 5 miles per gallon PER YEAR. That will quickly outpace the ability of car companies to adjust. I'm thinking maybe 5 miles per gallon per decade is far more possible for car companies. I also think our subsidies are far too high in terms of paying for the cost of solar panels. Also, considering my new tax agenda which will probably lend to costs, I am starting to worry about balancing our books, so I think these edits to the bill will lower the cost of it significantly will still having your intended enviormental impact.

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I may have more of substance to add later on, but let's just start with the numbers.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

I think Maxwell is right.


Also we repealed the Cafe at the Federal level, unless the repeal was later repealed and I am forgetting about it, but I seem to recall that having happened.

[Flake]

I think this bill goes too far in terms of improvements, requiring the average to go up by 5 miles per gallon PER YEAR. That will quickly outpace the ability of car companies to adjust. I'm thinking maybe 5 miles per gallon per decade is far more possible for car companies. I also think our subsidies are far too high in terms of paying for the cost of solar panels. Also, considering my new tax agenda which will probably lend to costs, I am starting to worry about balancing our books, so I think these edits to the bill will lower the cost of it significantly will still having your intended enviormental impact.

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I may have more of substance to add later on, but let's just start with the numbers.

I find this amendment friendly.

[Dixie Reborn]

I would support this if brought up for a vote.

[Flake]

Legislators, please vote Aye, Nay, or Abstain.

Aye.

[Donerail]

Aye.

[Dixie Reborn]

Aye

[Maxwell]

I had hoped to add more to the discussion, but since the vote has already started, I will come up with a redraft that will address my concerns that hopefully will still pass the way this already seems to be.

[Pingvin]

Aye

[Dereich]

Nay; I'm against most regional environmental standards

[Flake]

The bill has passed with four ayes and one nay.

[Maxwell]

I'll be offering my re-draft later today.

[Maxwell]

The intentions of this bill are good, but I still think a lot of this puts too much of a burden on IDS businesses and people who would otherwise employ in the region. We can still approach this issue in a sound way while giving more time for our small businesses. Therefore, I will move up the deadline another 5 years, giving everybody a good ten years to get up to par.

In addition, this act should apply more toward what the regional government itself can do, rather than powering overall. That will be far easier to measure our progress. In addition, I went ahead and added a deadline for Regional Government.

Here is my re-draft of this bill. You can put this up for a vote Flo.

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[Flake]

The intentions of this bill are good, but I still think a lot of this puts too much of a burden on IDS businesses and people who would otherwise employ in the region. We can still approach this issue in a sound way while giving more time for our small businesses. Therefore, I will move up the deadline another 5 years, giving everybody a good ten years to get up to par.

In addition, this act should apply more toward what the regional government itself can do, rather than powering overall. That will be far easier to measure our progress. In addition, I went ahead and added a deadline for Regional Government.

Here is my re-draft of this bill. You can put this up for a vote Flo.

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Amendment is friendly, legislators pls vote aye, nay, or abstain.

Aye.

[Dereich]

Abstain

[Pingvin]

Abstain

[Dixie Reborn]

abstain

[Maxwell]

Huh? You guys voted for the far more stringent version?

[Goldwater]

Yeah I'm confused. Why is everybody abstaining on the redraft?