Adam Hasner: Remember when I co-sponsored that cap-and-tax bill? I was trying to kill it

GOP Senate hopeful Adam Hasner says cap-and-trade law he championed was weak on purpose

Lawmakers seldom brag about the toothlessness of bills they pass. But that's essentially what former state House Majority Leader Adam Hasner of Boca Raton is saying about the cap-and-trade provisions in an energy bill he cosponsored in 2008.
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Hasner's foes note his co-sponsorship of the unanimously approved 2008 energy bill, which declares that the legislature finds it in the state's best interest "to pursue a market-based emissions program, such as cap and trade, to address greenhouse gas emissions reductions."

A press release from Hasner's Majority Leader office at the time touted the bill as "responsibly addressing global climate change and anticipated national cap and trade legislation."

But the Hasner camp points to language in the law specifying that any cap-and-trade rules developed by the state Department of Environmental Protection "shall not become effective until ratified by the Legislature."

That language gave legislators final say and effectively gutted Crist's environmental efforts, says Hasner consultant Rick Wilson.

"Adam killed the cap-and-trade program George and Charlie tried to ram through," said Wilson. "Adam has never and will never support a cap-and-trade plan."