Delegated democracy?

Paul Chesser of North Carolina’s John Locke Foundation has a useful article in today’s Washington Times about how one advocacy group, funded by leftist foundations, is taking over state policy decision-making on global warming:

What does a state get? A process in which the conclusion is pretty much determined from the outset. CCS arrives at “stakeholder” meetings with all the rules and voting procedures in place. They have a prepared list of dozens of options to be considered for recommendation by the governor-appointed stakeholder group. No cost-benefit analysis is provided for any of the options — instead CCS supplies numbers that highlight the benefits in amount of greenhouse gases reduced, rather than their actual effect on the climate. Analysis is limited to the “cost effectiveness” of implementing the policy options (like smart growth or a renewable fuels portfolio). Meanwhile important factors such as influence on the state’s economy, impacts on health and safety, and effects from increased regulation on businesses and consumers are not taken into account.

And you thought K Street was bad? Read the whole thing.