Public Still Not Sure What Cap and Trade Is, but They Will If It Passes

Nicolas Loris / October 16, 2009

Maybe John Kerry and President Obama and proponents of a cap and trade system to reduce greenhouse gas emissions still have time to change message. “I don’t know what ‘cap and trade’ means. I don’t think the average American does,’ Kerry said recently. And he’s right. According to a new poll released from the Pew Research Center, “just 23% of Americans are aware that legislation often referred to as “cap and trade” concerns energy and environmental policy.” The other choices were banking reform, health care and unemployment.

To be fair, those who answered unemployment should have at least received half credit since cap and trade is a jobs-destroying bill but the real issue is that the American public is still unsure of what cap and trade is and what it will mean for the economy – making it all that more important to convey that cap and trade is a significant energy tax that will do nothing to improve the environment. (more…)