RGGI: a tax by another name

To the editor:At last, someone has written an opinion about RGGI that is accurate and lacks the fluff of previous pieces (“Quit RGGI and boost the economy,” Jan. 28-Feb. 10 NHBR).I recall when the “big sell” was on, someone wrote that all the money collected by the electric utilities would be returned to the people that paid it (customers). It was not explained, then, how that would be accomplished. In subsequent articles, it was revealed that the money would go to the state for “green projects,” etc., another word for wasting it.As the current article points out, our “leaders” hid the cost of this tax, as it would not have been possible if proposed openly.On the same subject, but another company, last summer some $479,000 (approx.) of RGGI (read: taxpayer’s dollars) was given to Fraser Papers in Gorham for certain improvements designed to save energy. Shortly after receiving the money, about three months, the plant was closed. I wonder what happened to the money?One could go on and on citing examples. It makes one wonder if all subsidies of any kind were stopped, it may be possible that we could live within our means and not borrow the trillions now on the books.And talk about a hidden tax: PSNH includes an unstated tax in most – if not all – electric bills, the money from which goes to low-income households. They then have the temerity to request, once or more yearly, a donation for this very same purpose, never mentioning that every bill does exactly that.Donald Bradley
Plainfield