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THE GREEN NEW DEAL:
SCOPE, SCALE, AND IMPLICATIONS

Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Dan Bosch, et al.

 

American Action Forum, February 25, 2019, 12 pgs,

 
 

Reviewer Comment:
This is a much more detailed analysis than that in Dan Bosch's brief article, The Regulatory Impact of the Green New Deal. {short description of image}The total estimated cost could reach $100 trillion.

 
 

Executive Summary:
The authors state three broad conclusions:
1. The GND goals would generate vastly greater social and institutional changes throughout the nation that the narrow statement of the policies describe. The total economic costs are impossible to quantify.
2. But many of the policies are 'redundant' in that they impact other proposed policies such that their 'interactions' make it even more difficult to predict.
3. But it is clear that the total cost would be 'very expensive'.
They attempt to quantify costs by examining the many proposals individually and they provide a table to identify these.

 
 

1. Introduction:
The authors begin by providing an Internet link to the Congressional documents. They characterize these as " a set of sweeping policy proposals". The identified purpose of these is to reduce carbon emissions which is claimed to slow climate change. But the actual proposals involve much, much more than direct influence on carbon emission. They include such wishes as "job guarantee food and housing security, and many 'social justice' ideas. The scope of these proposals itself makes economic analysis 'daunting'. They attempt the analysis, nevertheless.

 
 

2. What is the GND?
The authors attempt to summarize. "In short, the goals are a pristine environment, quality infrastructure, a strong economy, and justice." To accomplish this the GND includes the concept of 'mobilization' - what ever that means.

Well, these are the stated goals but analysis shows they both fail to provide some and seek to accomplish other 'goals'. Actually, 'mobilization' of society is a concept on which both Stalin's and Hitler's programs were based.

The authors have attempted to define these vague policies into 6 categories
1. Transition within 10 years into a low-carbon energy electricity grid.
2. High-speed railroad capacity sufficient to eliminate air travel.
3. Guaranteed union jobs to everyone with 'adequate' wages and many benefits.
4. Universal health care
5. Guaranteed housing
6. Food 'security' for everyone.

Actually there are many more specific proposals. A simple listing of these shows that every radical progressive idea focused on a specific interest group is included. (Every social category such as native American, LGBT, every racial minority, farmers, workers, academics, and on and on is included.)

The authors describe some of the 'redundant' proposals (ideas that make other ideas worthless) They proceed to focus on some specific policy categories and attempt to estimate various costs.
A. Clean Energy
B. High-speed Rail
C. Guaranteed Jobs
D. Universal Health Care
E. Guaranteed Housing
F. Food Security

This very list shows that the real objective of GND have little to do with 'climate change'. But the authors attempt to estimate financial costs.

 
 

4. Summary and Conclusions: In this section the authors provide clear statements of the numerous 'goals' included in the GND as claims that it is 'the duty of the Federal Government to create a Green New Deal'.

What about the Constitution? Who Cares?

Then follows the verbatum sections of the GND document that lists some of these 'goals'. They are amazing in their demands and in their lack of reality. But they are guaranteed to generate enthusiastic clamor for immediate adoption by every interest group to which the radical progressives claim to support.

 
 

 
 

 
 

 

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