An unnamed industry group and Chicago market-trader friends of President Obama are reportedly encouraging Congress to impose a “carbon cap-and-tax-and-tax” plan on its own customers, a plan that would dramatically raise energy prices in the midst of an economic recession, the Congress of Racial Equality charged in a national speech.

“Our sources on Capitol Hill tell me that a small handful of energy industry insiders are working with a small handful in Congress to push policies that are extraordinarily anti-consumer and anti-affordable energy,” said Niger Innis, National Spokesman for the Congress of Racial Equality, in a speech to the annual meeting of the Conservative Political Action Committee recently.

“This group is reportedly trying to cut a backroom deal with Democratic leaders to force on consumers not only a carbon cap-and-tax scheme, but a carbon tax on top of that,” Innis said.  “Now, let me repeat this so you all understand: this industry association is asking Democratic leaders to impost a ‘carbon cap-and-tax-and-tax’ on its own customers.”
"This is an outrage on so many levels it makes your head spin,” Innis said.  “This comes from an industry sector that has a reputation for providing some of the lowest cost power in America.  This comes at a time when this group’s customers can barely afford their current utility bills.”

“Proposals like this threaten to light the fires of a consumer revolt aimed at industry – instead of a revolt that should be aimed at those extremists who want to see energy prices go up,” Innis warned.

“The staff leadership of this industry group claim that they need to put these anti-consumer cards on the table so that can get a ‘seat at the table,’” Innis explained.  “They claim that if they don’t buy a seat at the table, they will be ‘on the menu.’  This is the excuse of collaborators, my friends.  These people don’t have to buy a seat at the table.  They already own a seat by virtue of the fact that they provide affordable energy to millions of people each and every day.  Without them, much of our nation goes dark and our people suffer and die.”

“If that fact alone doesn’t earn you a seat at Nancy Pelosi’s table, it’s clearly time to re-think who you are having lunch with,” Innis said.

Innis called upon “all energy industry leaders to publicly repudiate support for anti-consumer plans like a ‘carbon cap-and-tax-and-tax.’

“These leaders should publicly reiterate their commitment to fighting federal mandates that will drive up the cost of energy for their own customers,” Innis said.  “For I can promise you one thing: CORE will not stand silently by and watch Washington insiders try to sell out the interests of the poor and minorities by doing backroom deals with extremists Members of Congress to encourage even higher energy prices.”

“We are going to continue to speak out against all who conspire to raise the price of energy and hurt low-income families across America,” he said. “And, believe me, if these industry leaders continue flirting with plans that sell out consumers, we are going to start naming names.”