Omnibus spending bills are typically end-of-the-year bills laden with wasteful earmarks and specific pet projects that cost the taxpayer billions of dollars. Because of the stimulus bill Congress pushed Omnibus legislation for the fiscal year 2009 into February with a vote in the House expected to come this week and a vote in the Senate the following week. Since most Members of Congress have some stake in the game, these bills always tend to pass despite public outcries to curb unnecessary government spending.

But this time, it could end up costing Americans much more. According to the Committee on Natural Resources minority site:

Congressional Democrats have inserted a dangerous rider (Sec. 429) into the Fiscal Year 2009 Omnibus Appropriations bill that would allow the Department of Interior to regulate greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. Section 429 allows the Interior Department to withdraw two Endangered Species Act rules (one on Section 7 consultation and another on polar bears) within 60 days of enactment.

This would allow the Obama Administration to change rules without any public notice or public comment period, and threatens efforts to create new jobs in an already strapped economy.”

The analysis of economic damage inflicted by enacting a global warming policy to reduce carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions should be a red flag that now is no time for such regulations. It will cost American jobs, and cost Americans in terms of higher electricity bills and ultimately extract trillions from the American economy.

There is nothing to suggest global warming policy is needed right now. In fact, most Americans feel global warming is not a priority. By slipping such a provision into the Omnibus bill and allowing the Department of Interior to regulate carbon dioxide, Congress will simply make a bad economic situation worse.