Lisa Murkowski spoke to the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce Monday (8-31) on a range of subjects. Some highlights of her remarks on the House-passed cap and trade bill to reduce greenhouse gas pollution:

In her speech, she said the bill would “be disastrous for the state of Alaska and frightening for our country.” The bill’s approach is “untested” and “fraught with great potential for abuse.” She is concerned over “how it allocated who got what” in the way of emission rights. “It was whoever barked the loudest,” she said.

Alaska’s three oil refineries “would be shut down” by the House bill, she asserted.

In taking questions from the audience, she added these thoughts:

A climate bill is “not ready for prime time this year.” The House bill “was really rushed through.”

“It was not a bipartisan approach. It was cramdown legislation.”

If the bill turns out wrong, unraveling it will be very difficult. “We can’t be experimenting….We’ve gotta be sure we get this right.”

“Yes, we need to be reducing our emissions. We can take steps that get us on the right track.”

She is not one of those opposed to cap and trade in principle. “I signed onto a more moderate cap and trade approach with Sen. Bingaman (D-NM) a couple years back.” It had what she called “collars,” to make sure the price of carbon pollution rights didn’t get too high.