Bootlegging doesn't have much to do with global warming. But the politics of bootlegging may have quite a bit to do with the politics of global warming. And Southern laws banning liquor sales have something in common with the Kyoto treaty on climate change.
It turns out that those running some big international companies have the same approach to business as some hillbilly moonshiners.
For a long time, all Southern states had restrictions on alcohol. Some let their counties ban it entirely, for instance. Others banned the sale on Sunday. In many states, those restrictions still stand.
And no wonder. Those laws are supported by some fundamentalist Christians, a big voting bloc in the South.
But they are also backed by bootleggers, who know that honest firms will put them out of business without those laws.
It's called the coalition of Baptists and bootleggers.
The Baptists, whose religious beliefs forbid the consumption of alcohol, provide the votes for anti-alcohol lawmakers. And their strong moral stance provides an excuse for legislators to vote against changes in the law.
The bootleggers, meanwhile, put money in the pockets of anti- alcohol lawmakers.
A similar coalition of unlikely partners may be backing the Kyoto treaty calling for nations to cut their emissions of greenhouse gases.
The anti-global warming movement may have its own ''Baptists'' and ''bootleggers,'' says a new study from PERC, a Bozeman, Montana-based free-market think tank.
''The Baptists are the active environmental groups pushing for ratification and enforcement of the treaty, and working to prevent backsliding. They are passionate and persuasive to the public as they argue that cutting back on carbon emissions is a moral necessity,'' wrote economist Bruce Yandle, author of the report.
So who are the bootleggers?
Well, the list could start with alternative- energy firms.
Subsidies for solar and wind power and for ethanol and methanol might be easier to get if the U.S. commits itself to cutting carbon emissions.
Many firms that make such fuels have already lined up behind the Kyoto treaty.
Corn farmers, who produce the raw material for ethanol, would make out well if the treaty is approved. But farmers as a whole would suffer.
The American Farm Bureau Federation opposes the Kyoto agreement, predicting higher fuel and fertilizer prices if it is OK'd. And that will lead to higher food prices for consumers, the group warns.
Several big producers of natural gas also back the Kyoto treaty. Again, one doesn't have to look far to see the reasons for their stand. Natural gas burns cleaner than other fossil fuels. So tough limits on emissions could force many plants to switch to natural gas.
And some oil companies have come out for tight limits on greenhouse gases. These firms are also active in natural gas, so they could benefit as demand for that product rises.
But the Kyoto treaty might also boost demand for oil. Why? ''Because oil is a substitute for coal that produces fewer carbon emissions,'' Yandle noted.
Of course, we shouldn't feel sorry for coal companies just yet. They've started acting like bootleggers, too. Some want taxpayer subsidies to develop cleaner-burning coal technologies.
And it isn't just certain firms or industries that are acting like bootleggers. Some entire nations are acting that way, Yandle said.
Obviously, those developing nations that aren't forced to cut emissions will make out well under the Kyoto agreement.
Firms in those nations will have a cost advantage over those in developed nations who'll have to bear the brunt of the cost of enforcing emissions cuts.
We shouldn't be surprised some firms and countries might use the Kyoto agreement to gain unfair advantages over others.
The stakes in this game are huge.
One study found that meeting the goals of the Kyoto agreement would drive the price of coal in the U.S. up by 40%.
Another predicted electricity prices could double, and retail gasoline prices could rise by 50%.
When the costs are that high, you can be sure that some people are going to try to foist them on their competitors.
Comments on this posting?
Click here to post a public comment on the Trash Talk Bulletin Board.
Click here to send a private comment to the Junkman.
Copyright © 1998 Steven J. Milloy. All rights reserved on original material. Material copyrighted by others is used either with permission or under a claim of "fair use." Site developed and hosted by WestLake Solutions, Inc.
Material presented on this home page constitutes opinion of Steven J. Milloy.