American Power Act

The Distortion

Repeatedly, constantly, the folks against energy reform throw around a single word: tax. Newt Gingrich's organization American Solutions used some form of the word five times in a single sentence in their most recent email blast. They try to make a tortured case that there's a gas tax in the American Power Act.

The Truth

There's no tax on gas in the American Power Act. It's a flat lie to say otherwise. It's really as simple as that.

The American Power Act creates a pollution reduction program in which companies purchase credits for the pollution they emit, much like the very successful program combating acid rain. It then takes money from that permit auction and gives it to American consumers. Independent analysis by the Peter G. Peterson Foundation has found that this would actually result in lower energy costs for Americans.

That same study found that the switch to a new clean energy economy spurred by the American Power Act would result in over 200,000 new jobs in the American economy every year. It would also reduce our oil imports by over 40%, keeping more of our energy dollars here at home and putting Americans back in control of our own power production again.

The Act lowers costs, creates jobs, and breaks our addiction to oil.

You can read the study by clicking here.