Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN), chairman of the House Republican Caucus, went on MSNBC earlier today to reiterate a familiar talking point.
“According to some independent estimates the average american household could see their energy costs go up by more than $3,000 per year.”
There are many falsehoods here. The first is the contention that there are “some” estimates. There is but one. The next is that these estimates (this estimate) is independent. It is, in fact, an estimate cooked up by House Republicans. The third, and most serious has to do with the accuracy of that one, non-independent estimate. It is exaggerated by more than an order of magnitude.
This claim goes back to earlier this spring, when Congressional Republicans began mischaracterizing an M.I.T. study, and propagating myths based on deeply flawed calculations they made with that study’s findings. Though they’ve been called out repeatedly (by us, and by the author of the study, and by high profile Democrats) for peddling misinformation, they nonetheless continue to push the line.
