Plan could mean electric bills soar

FORT WAYNE, IND. (WANE) - Depending on what happens in the nation’s capitol, it’s estimated that your monthly electric bill could go up by hundreds to even thousands of dollars a year.

The American Clean Energy and Security Act, or Cap and Trade Bill , is sparking a nationwide debate. The bill has already been approved in the House and is on its way to the Senate.

The bill is largely favored among Democrats, with Republican Representatives, like Mike Pence, adamantly against it.

"In the midst of the worst recession in a generation, this Administration and this majority in Congress are prepared to pass a national energy tax that will raise the cost of energy on every American family," Pence said.

The bill proposes to clean up the air and reduce pollution emissions from factories and utility providers; but critics say those plants could close, and move to countries that aren't as heavily regulated.

The bill also includes more stringent requirements for electric companies, and as they have to pay to upgrade their equipment or pay pollution penalties, that cost would likely be passed on to consumers.

"There is a lot of dispute about how much the average American household will pay if this national energy tax becomes law and that's true. There are estimates ranging from a few hundred dollars a year to the Heritage Foundation's over $4,000 a year," Pence said.

The bill barely passed the house, with a 219 to 212 vote. It's now on to the Senate, where Senators like Evan Bayh could hear the proposal in the coming weeks.

"This is a complicated issue, but we need to be very careful that as we deal with our energy challenges and the problems of climate change and that sort of thing that we don't do something that's going to cost us a lot of jobs and dramatically raise people's utility bills. That's not right,” Bayh said.

While he's heard about the bill, Senator Bayh isn't sure how he would vote.

"It's a complex question because it's a 1,200 page bill and we don't know exactly what's going to be introduced in the senate and it could be different than what passed the house,” Bayh said.

At this point, contacting your local Senator is your best bet at sounding off on the bill.  It's not yet clear when it's expected to be heard in the Senate.

To find that and a copy of the bill, click here.

To contact your local Senator, click here.