Lawmakers, legislative staff, news media and other interested friends are cordially invited to the Mackinac Center for Public Policy's

APRIL 29 ISSUES & IDEAS FORUM

"Cap-and-Trade and Michigan's Economy"

Featuring:

Margo Thorning, Ph.D.
Senior vice president and chief economist with the
American Council for Capital Formation

DATE: Thursday, April 29, 2010
TIME: Noon - 1 p.m.
LOCATION: Radisson Hotel Lansing, Michigan Rooms II & III
111 N. Grand Avenue, Lansing, MI 48933
COST: Lunch is provided at no charge with reservation.

Legislation like the federal Waxman-Markey bill, designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, threatens to further slow the economy, particularly in Michigan. If such restrictions on energy use are passed, Michigan's gross state product, employment, industrial output, state budget revenues and household income would fall further.

Nor would these policies appreciably help the environment: U.S. climate change policies will have virtually no environmental benefits unless developing countries, whose emissions are skyrocketing, also participate. Solutions include: improving the U.S. tax code to reduce the cost of new, cleaner technology; promoting market reforms to allow the developing world access to cleaner technologies; using nuclear power for electricity generation; and continuing with global approaches, such as the Asia Pacific Partnership and the Major Economies Initiative.

Dr. Thorning is an internationally recognized expert on tax, environmental and competitiveness issues. She has testified as an expert witness on capital formation and environmental issues before several U.S. congressional committees. Thorning writes and lectures on tax and economic policy, is frequently quoted in publications such as the Financial Times, Suddeutsche Zeitung, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, and has appeared internationally on public affairs news programs. She has made presentations on the economic impact of climate change policy at forums in China, India, the European Union, Russia and elsewhere.

Previously, Dr. Thorning served at the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Federal Trade Commission.

The luncheon begins at noon. To make reservations, please call the Mackinac Center at 989-631-0900 by 5 p.m. on April 23, 2010.

The Purpose of the Issues & Ideas Forum

The nature of the legislative process is such that public policy debates are often framed by specific constituencies and political pragmatism rather than by sound principles. By offering a forum for wide-ranging discussion, the Mackinac Center for Public Policy hopes to broaden the debate to include theoretical and philosophical ideals — and how to achieve them. The best interests of Michigan residents can be served only when legislation incorporates our best understanding of legal, economic, psychological, moral and scientific principles.