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Darren Littell: Gary Peters stands in the way of American jobs
Peters
Congressman Gary Peters showed his true colors last week when he stood in support of the latest EPA rules to shut down existing power plants. This comes as a surprise to no one, given Peters’ strong support for actions in Washington that hurt middle class families.
Since going to Washington, Peters has voted along party lines an average of 87.5 percent of the time. He’s been a strong ally of green Democrats by supporting the controversial cap-and-trade and opposing the construction of the Keystone Pipeline.
Now he’s backing the Obama administration’s latest proposal that would create an additional burden on hardworking middle class families trying to earn a living in America’s coal industry.
According to the Energy Information Administration, coal is responsible for the production of about 56 percent of Michigan’s electricity.
A recent report by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for 21st Century Energy highlighted the impact the new rules would have on the economy. If these rules are implemented, families will see an increase in energy bills of $290 billion more for electricity between 2014 and 2030. Additionally, the South and Midcontinent Independent System, which includes Michigan, would feel the biggest impact, with an annual average increase of 3.3 percent.
According to the report, “Higher electricity prices ripple though the economy and reduce discretionary income, which affects consumer behavior, forcing them to delay or forgo some purchases or lower their house savings rates.”
The report further underscores the negative impact the U.S. workforce would face under the new EPA rules. Due to the loss in energy production by existing power plants and a loss in GDP, the U.S. would expect to see a loss of 224,000 jobs from 2014 to 2030.
A recent Detroit News editorial says the new regulations risk making families “hungrier, less prosperous and more likely to be unemployed.”
Gary Peters has consistently supported legislation that increases taxes and kills jobs for middle class families.
In 2009, Peters voted in favor of the Democrat-proposed cap-and-trade plan, which was estimated to raise taxes by nearly $5.7 trillion and cost 2.5 million jobs by 2035. More recently, Peters aligned himself with billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer to fight construction of the Keystone Pipeline – never mind the fact it has been estimated to create thousands of jobs for middle class families who need them.
In an effort to misinform and confuse voters from his record as a career politician, Peters has attempted to paint himself as a centrist on the campaign trail.
This is in strong contrast to his voting record and support of high taxes and job killing legislation. Gary Peters has taken a hard party line stance with Washington Democrats and billionaires like Tom Steyer since he’s been in office. Rather than represent Michigan families, Peters has squandered away every opportunity to help create jobs and help Michigan’s economy.
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