WE'RE WITH U.S. Rep. Artur Davis on the "cap-and-trade" bill recently approved by the House of Representatives.

Rep. Davis, a Birmingham Democrat, broke ranks with the national leaders of his party and voted against the controversial proposal. The day before the vote, Congressman Davis explained his opposition: "That we are still deep in the throes of a severe recession makes this the wrong time to enact major changes in our energy economy, changes that could cripple Alabama industries like steel and coal and devastate communities from Fairfield to Linden."

The bill aims to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases by imposing higher costs on energy producers and consumers. This supposedly would help cool global warming, although there is no evidence the complicated system of pollution credits and penalties will reduce temperatures. In reality, the legislation is a scheme to expand the power of the federal government and limit economic growth, which some on the far left view as a threat to the environment.

Every state would suffer from cap and trade, especially when the more stringent emissions caps are put in place about 10 years from now. However, some states fare better than others under the bill's regulatory regime. Not surprisingly, those states are in the West and the Northeast — the home of the Democratic Party's far left wing.

Most Southern states, including Alabama, would take a beating from the bill's provisions. Alabama has a large coal industry and a number of coal-fired power plants — no-nos for the cap-and-traders. The state also generates clean energy with nuclear plants and hydroelectric facilities.

But the top Democrats in the House rejected nuclear and hydro, insisting that all benefits flow to wind and solar power sources. Alabama has little capacity to produce power from either wind or solar facilities.

A nonpartisan alliance of Alabama business and labor groups estimates the House-passed bill would raise utility bills for residential customers and industries by more than $800 million a year when the cap-and-trade regulations are in full force.

Not only would Alabamians pay much higher electric bills, they would find employment opportunities shrinking as the state's business sector absorbed the full costs of the national Democrats' environmental agenda.

A recent Congressional Budget Office study failed to account for the broader economic impact of cap and trade or the disproportionate burden borne by states like Alabama. Even so, Congressman Davis and the other six members of Alabama's House delegation understand the threat: They all voted against the House bill.

Forty-four House Democrats rejected "cap and tax," raising hopes that the bill can be stopped by a bipartisan filibuster in the Senate. If the bill does make it through the Senate in anything like its current form, the standard of living in Alabama and, ultimately, the nation is going to take a hit.

Rep. Davis and his fellow dissenters in the Democratic Party should continue to sound the alarm about the bill and make it clear that this isn't just another Democrat vs. Republican scuffle.