Democrat DeFazio's zingers on timber and "cap and trade" - Jeff Mapes on Politics

Oregon Congressman Peter DeFazio swung by The Oregonian's editorial board Monday afternoon _ and he was there long enough to deliver plenty of pointed comments on issues ranging from Sen. Ron Wyden's new timber plan to what he sees as the folly of "cap and trade."

Of course, the Springfield Democrat can't help but make pointed comments. It's part of his spirited, pugnacious nature, and it's a big reason why he'd certainly be an entertaining candidate if he runs for governor.
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DeFazio has also become increasingly scathing of the push by the Democratic leadership - in both Congress and the Oregon Legislature - to set up a "cap and trade" system aimed at reducing greenhouse gases blamed for global warming.

To DeFazio, who has always had a finely honed populist outrage with Wall Street, the idea of creating another financial market is folly.

"It is just infinitely game-able," he said, relating how Europe is now trading in "carbon futures" that give industries additional emission permits now in exchange for, say, trees that may or may not be planted in the future.

"These financial people, I mean, they are very smart people and they can figure out a way to monetize anything and it would just be nuts to go down that path."

That doesn't mean DeFazio is a climate change skeptic. He argues that it should be done with "old fashioned" regulation, of the same kind that reduced smog over our cities and cleaned the filth out of our rivers.

Hmmm: McCain Slams "Cap And Tax" Energy Plan

As Congress opens hearings on new energy policies, John McCain said President Obama is pursuing a strategy that is a “revenue generator for the federal government,” not a solution to the threat of climate change.