Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) calls out the Republican $3,100 lie

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Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) went on the attack yesterday calling out a blatant falsehood being spread by Republican politicians about the proposed cap and tradeย legislation.

Earlier this week Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) incorrectly stated that the proposed green economy bill being considered by Congress will โ€œcost every American family up to $3,100 per year in higher energyย prices.โ€

The basis for his claim is a 2007 study performed by a group of researchers at the MIT. John Reilly, an MIT professor and one of the authors of the study, explained about this $3,100ย claim:

โ€œItโ€™s just wrong. Itโ€™s wrong in so many ways itโ€™s hard to begin.โ€โ€ [โ€ฆ] โ€œSomeone from the House Republicans had called me (March 20) and asked about this,โ€ Reilly said. โ€œI had explained why the estimate they had was probably incorrect and what they should do to correct it, but I think this wrong number was already floating around by thatย time.โ€

The Republican spin machine has been in overdrive this week trying hard to shut down the bill drafted by Reps. Henry Waxman and Ed Markey. The $3,100 falsehood is doing its job bouncing around the internet and news outlets misinforming millions. No doubt that Sen. McConnell and his gang are employing the old adage, โ€œIf you repeat a lie often enough it just might comeย true.โ€

Hereโ€™s Rep. Blumenauer calling out theย lie:

This month weโ€™re giving away FREE copies of Thomas Friedmanโ€™s bestselling book Hot, Flat and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution and How It Can Renew America.

Go here to find out more details about DeSmogBlogโ€™s monthly bookย give-away.

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Kevin is a contributor and strategic adviser to DeSmog. He runs the digital marketing agency Spake Media House. Named a โ€œGreen Heroโ€ by Rolling Stone Magazine and one of the โ€œTop 50 Tweetersโ€ on climate change and environment issues, Kevin has appeared in major news media outlets around the world for his work on digital campaigning. Kevin has been involved in the public policy arena in both the United States and Canada for more than a decade. For five years he was the managing editor of DeSmogBlog.com. In this role, Kevinโ€™s research into the โ€œclimate denial industryโ€ and the right-wing think tank networks was featured in news media articles around the world. He is most well known for his ground-breaking research into David and Charles Kochโ€™s massive financial investments in the Republican and tea partyย networks. Kevin is the first person to be designated a โ€œCertified Expertโ€ on theย political and community organizing platformย NationBuilder. Prior to DeSmog, Kevin worked in various political and government roles. He was Senior Advisor to the Minister of State for Multiculturalism and a Special Assistant to the Minister of State for Asia Pacific, Foreign Affairs for the Government of Canada. Kevin also worked in various roles in the British Columbia provincial government in the Office of the Premier and the Ministry of Health. In 2008 Kevin co-founded a groundbreaking new online election tool called Vote for Environment which was later nominated for a World Summit Award in recognition of the worldโ€™s best e-Content and innovative ICTย applications. Kevin moved to Washington, DC in 2010 where he worked for two years as the Director of Online Strategy for Greenpeace USA and has since returned to his hometown of Vancouver, Canada.

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