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Democrats’ Cap-and-Trade Bill Creates ‘Retrofit’ Policy for Homes and Businesses
CNSNews.com ^ | July 1, 2009 | Matt Cover

Posted on 07/01/2009 3:49:39 AM PDT by Man50D

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To: Man50D
This means that homeowners, for example, could be required to retrofit their homes to meet federal “green” guidelines in order to sell their homes, if the cap-and-trade bill becomes law. I can't wait for the howls of anguish from my lib-eco friends when they go to sell their houses! I don't plan on selling mine for a long time, anyway.!................
21 posted on 07/01/2009 5:08:05 AM PDT by Red Badger (Inquiring minds want to know, but American Idol minds could care less...)
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To: PubliusMM

Do anything with impunity: Starting with running ozero for president with no history, no loyalty, no experience, no nothing.


22 posted on 07/01/2009 5:10:44 AM PDT by Texas resident ( Cut n Shoot Texas: Mayberry for rednecks)
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To: Man50D
States may contract with private agencies to oversee the retrofitting and measuring of improved efficiency and environmental friendliness of houses and other buildings, making sure that private citizens have a variety of choices for retrofitting their homes.

How generous of them to negotiate HOW we will retrofit our homes, instead of IF we will retrofit our homes. If they would just let us decide whether we want to make the improvements, it would become another "selling factor" in real estate deals. Just like other home improvements, retrofitting would add to the selling price when a house goes on the market.

This is nothing more than a boondoggle for "inspection companies", probably ACORN, or whatever they call themselves now! We all know that the "poor" will have the job done for them and it will be "FREE"!

23 posted on 07/01/2009 5:12:03 AM PDT by REPANDPROUDOFIT
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To: meyer
but you can afford to torch the place. Is that what they want?

If you can't afford the retrofit the gov't will acquire the property and provide assistance for you to relocate to an inner city high density development.

24 posted on 07/01/2009 5:16:20 AM PDT by NewHampshireDuo
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To: Man50D

Please cite section of bill containing this language.

Thanks


25 posted on 07/01/2009 5:16:44 AM PDT by Jimmy Valentine's brother (FUBO and the donkey you rode in on.)
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To: Jimmy Valentine's brother
Please cite section of bill containing this language.

Thanks


I can only suggest you do any search at Thomas.gov(library of Congress) if you are interested for the specific section amongst 1400 pages. That will take considerable time. Good luck!
26 posted on 07/01/2009 5:20:04 AM PDT by Man50D (Fair Tax, you earn it, you keep it! FairTaxNation.com)
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To: Man50D

Doesn’t matter, Franken will be seated by then.


27 posted on 07/01/2009 5:25:22 AM PDT by VTenigma
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To: PSYCHO-FREEP

“The Contractors working on you house will also have to be pre-approved by the Goobermint, like as in Union employed Contractors.”

You will need E Verify to buy building materials, just not to vote.


28 posted on 07/01/2009 5:29:00 AM PDT by VTenigma
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To: Jimmy Valentine's brother
Section.202. 8(b)BUILDING RETROFIT PROGRAM

You can find it at this link:Cap and Trade It is huge and took about 5 minutes to download just this XML version on a lightening fast T1. You have been warned.
29 posted on 07/01/2009 5:39:42 AM PDT by cameraman
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To: Jimmy Valentine's brother
I think this language was in the 300 page gorilla that was dropped on the floor of Congress around 3:00 AM the day of the House vote. The Senator (Boener?) from Ohio read this portion on the Floor.

His comment, “Great, just what we need, an entire NEW Federal Bureaucracy!”

30 posted on 07/01/2009 5:43:58 AM PDT by poobear
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To: poobear

Yes, and that was just AMMENDMENTS to the bill. Against normal custom, there was NO copy of the bill on the floor of the House when it was voted on and passed. In fact, there was NO copy period, because it wasn’t even written yet when it was passed!!!

— information per Rush


31 posted on 07/01/2009 5:51:46 AM PDT by webschooner
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To: webschooner

Yep!!!!

Senator (Boener?) from Ohio = Congressman from Ohio, the House Minority Leader

oops


32 posted on 07/01/2009 5:54:33 AM PDT by poobear
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To: poobear
Hi there I am Bob with Howard Home Energy Retrofit (State License ********** and Federal License ########) I understand that you are selling your house and I am here to get the share of your money that Henry Waxman and Ed Markey promised me after I paid all the license fees and bribes to the approprate State and Federal agencies!
33 posted on 07/01/2009 5:54:37 AM PDT by Wooly
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To: Man50D

This will be the death knell for private home ownership.


34 posted on 07/01/2009 6:50:09 AM PDT by Iron Munro (Obama as President is like hiring a mechanic who never saw a car before.)
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To: Iron Munro
This will be the death knell for private home ownership.

This is exactly what they want. We will be living in Matrix pods unless you are one of the limousine liberals.


35 posted on 07/01/2009 7:04:56 AM PDT by New Perspective (My 5 yr old son has Down Syndrome, are you going to kill him too Obama?)
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To: cameraman; Man50D; poobear
OK pulled up the GPO PDF HR 2454 As Passed, 1254 Pages here are the specific cites:

“The Administrator shall develop and implement, in consultation with the Secretary of Energy, standards for a national energy and environmental building retrofit policy for single-family and multi-family residences,” the bill reads. (Page 351 Lines 5-9)

It continues: “The purpose of the REEP program is to facilitate the retrofitting of existing buildings across the United States.” (Page 351 Lines 19- 23)

The bill leaves the definition of a retrofit and the details of the REEP program up to the EPA. However, states are responsible for ensuring that the government’s plans are carried out, whatever the final details may entail.

“States shall maintain responsibility for meeting the standards and requirements of the REEP program,” the bill says. (Page 354 Lines 13-15)

States may contract with private agencies to oversee the retrofitting and measuring of improved efficiency and environmental friendliness of houses and other buildings, making sure that private citizens have a variety of choices for retrofitting their homes.

“States and local government entities may administer a REEP program in a manner that authorizes public or regulated investor-owned utilities, building auditors and inspectors, contractors, nonprofit organizations, for-profit companies, and other entities to perform audits and retrofit services,” reads the bill. (Page 354 Lines 1-7)

It further says, “A State or local administrator of a REEP program shall seek to ensure that sufficient qualified entities are available to support retrofit activities so that building owners have a competitive choice among qualified auditors, raters, contractors, and providers of services related to retrofits.” (Page 355 Lines 10)

In fact, individual homeowners are even allowed to retrofit buildings themselves. The bill gives specific protection to individual owners’ rights to choose who inspects and retrofits their property.

“Nothing in this section is intended to deny the right of a building owner to choose the specific providers of retrofit services to engage for a retrofit project in that owner’s building.” (Page 355 Lines 16-19)

Even though Congress says the states are responsible for carrying out the retrofits, the EPA and the Department of Energy will establish the guidelines and rules for doing so.

“The Administrator, in consultation with the Secretary of Energy, shall establish goals, guidelines, practices, and standards for accomplishing the purpose stated in subsection (c) [the retrofits],” the bill says. (Page 356 Lines 3 -6)

The program would involve a system of certified auditors, inspectors, and raters who inspect homes and businesses using devices such as infrared cameras (which measure how much heat a building is giving off) to measure their energy efficiency. (Page 356 Lines 10-19)

The results of these energy audits would then be used to determine what retrofits need to be performed. The audits would examine things like water usage, infrared photography, and pressurized testing to determine the efficiency of door and window seals, and indoor air quality. (Page 357 Lines 3-12) Those retrofits would be performed by licensed retrofit contractors using government-approved methods and resources including roofing materials that reflect solar energy.

“[B]uilding retrofits conducted pursuant to a REEP program utilize, especially in all air-conditioned buildings, roofing materials with high solar energy reflectance,” the legislation states. (Page 357 Lines 13-16)

After the retrofitting is complete, the government – state, local, or federal – will come back and re-inspect the house to determine how much energy has been saved and whether the retrofit is up to federal government standards.

“Determination of energy savings in a performance-based building retrofit program through — (A) for residential buildings, comparison of before and after retrofit scores,” the proposal states. (Page 357 Lines 24 & 25 Page 358 Lines 1-5)

To help pay for the cost of these retrofits, states and localities may provide loans, utility rate rebates, tax rebates, or implement retrofit programs on their own. In fact, the government will even pay up to 50 percent of the cost of a retrofit through financial awards to individual home and building owners.

“PERCENTAGE.—Awards under clause (i) shall not exceed 50 percent of retrofit costs for each building,” reads the bill. Page 364 Lines 15-17)

I find thise clause interesting:

Page 354 “ In any State that elects not to ad
16 minister the REEP program, a unit of local govern
17 ment may propose to do so within its jurisdiction,
18 and if the Administrator finds that such local gov
19 ernment is capable of administering the program,
20 the Administrator may provide allowances to that
21 local government, prorated according to the popu
22 lation of the local jurisdiction relative to the popu
23 lation of the State, for purposes of the REEP pro
24 gram.

"The Administrator" is the Federal Government can someone say, "Tenth Ammendment?"

36 posted on 07/01/2009 7:17:07 AM PDT by Jimmy Valentine's brother (FUBO and the donkey you rode in on.)
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To: Jimmy Valentine's brother

State and Federal Permit - $ check
County Survey - $ check
Architech/Engineer Plans for Submittals - $ check
ReSubmittals after several initial rejections - $ check
County Permit - $ Check
Federal Permit - $ Check
County Inspection - $ Check
State/Federal Inspection - $ Check
County Re-inspections - $ Check
State/Federal Re-Inspections $ Check
Final Inspections - $ Check
ReInspections Year after Year after Year - $ Check

See a trend here folks?


37 posted on 07/01/2009 7:35:15 AM PDT by poobear
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To: Man50D
Man, this bill screws the average man from every possible direction.

More "change you can believe in."
38 posted on 07/01/2009 7:36:52 AM PDT by Antoninus (Queer is boring.)
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To: Man50D

It seems to me no bill should exceed about 10 pages.


39 posted on 07/01/2009 7:56:52 AM PDT by Sig Sauer P220 (Forget going Galt. Its time to go Braveheart.)
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To: Jimmy Valentine's brother

I skimmed it but didn’t see the part about WHEN this has to be done.

Does one have to have some kind of certification before one can sell?


40 posted on 07/01/2009 8:14:07 AM PDT by Timeout (The Brits have their royal family. We have our privileged "public servant" class.)
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