Off The Grid

A License Required for your house? It's a flat out lie.

Received an email forward today about H.R. 2454, stating that,

Beginning 1 year after enactment of the Cap and Trade Act, you won’t be able to sell your home unless you retrofit it to comply with the energy and water efficiency standards of this Act. H.R. 2454, the “Cap & Trade” bill passed by the House of Representatives, if also passed by the Senate, will be the largest tax increase any of us has ever experienced.

What the email depends upon, of course, is that you’re too lazy to read the 932 page bill that passed the House on June 26, 2009, also known as ACES (American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009)

But you don’t need to read the whole bill if you don’t want. You can read the recap from it’s author, Rep Waxman. It states, unequivocally:

ACES imposes no requirements on homeowners. Nothing in ACES will impose new requirements on the owners of America’s existing buildings. Nothing in the bill would impede upon home sales. No one will be required to make improvements, but building owners who desire can obtain assistance to increase efficiency and save money on their energy bills.

I just thought I’d put this up on the interwebs so anyone who might be fact checking this dubious email could find an easy answer. But don’t take it from me, read the bill. I did. I found every claim in the email to be entirely bogus.

Think for yourselves, people.

A lot of people think government regulations are bad. Have a look at what China looks like without environment regs today: (via @jlbruno)

40 more disturbing photographs if you follow the link.