House and Senate Republicans intend to ramp up their attack  of the Democratic-sponsored clean-energy legislation this week in an effort to brand the measure a "national energy tax."

According to a GOP leadership aide, the Democrats' American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 that minority party members refer to as "cap and tax" offers them a "huge opportunity, and we will use it to hammer that tax message in a communications offensive over the next four weeks -- that this bill amounts to a national energy tax that will destroy jobs and increase costs for every single American."

GOP conference aides seized on an opportunity to demonstrate that there is bipartisan opposition to the nearly 700-page clean-energy bill. On Friday, they were quick to download and forward to reporters a clip of the Energy and Commerce Committee's most senior member, John Dingell (D-Mich.), calling  his party's clean-energy bill a tax hike.

In the seven-second sound bite, Dingell barked to witnesses - including former Vice President Al Gore - "nobody in this country realizes that cap-and-trade is a tax, and it's a great big one."

GOP leadership sources said that Dingell gave them a "huge gift" when panel's chairman emeritus repeated the House and Senate minority party's tax message.

Conference aides indicate that Republicans plan to coordinate their message around Dingell's comments, and hit the floor for one-minute speeches, special orders and tele-town halls with constituents back in their respective districts.

In an effort to prepare for what is likely to be a month-long debate over energy policy, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) tapped GOP Conference Chairman Mike Pence (Ind.) to head the "GOP American Energy Solutions Working Group." The 26-member panel was tasked with crafting alternative legislation to the cap-and-trade bill.

"We will be conducting hearings across the country. The purpose of the group is to study and propose ways that we can work together to increase American energy production, encourage greater efficiency and conservation, and promote the use of alternative fuels," Pence wrote in an opinion piece posted on RedState.com last Thursday.

In addition to creating an internal House GOP working group, Congressional Republicans have united with GOP governors to coordinate their fight against what they have characterized as the president's "cap and trade" national energy tax proposal, which they say will kill jobs and raise energy prices in many states.
According to aides, staff from Boehner's office have already met with Gov. Mitch Daniels' (R-Ind.) staff to generate ideas in order to coordinate spreading the message.

"If you start talking about cap-and-trade, if you  start talking about expanding more government, borrowing more money and raising taxes, that's not going to help the economic engine of this country, which is the small businesses," Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) said last week.

House Republicans started to press the issue last week when House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and Subcommittee on Energy and Environment Chairman Edward Markey (D-Mass.) held four days of hearings on the Democrat's clean-energy legislation. The joint committee heard from big-name witnesses including Gore, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.), Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson, Energy Department Secretary Steven Chu and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

Markey's subcommittee may mark-up the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 as early as this week.

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