Your Nov. 16 editorial on climate policy noted that the Build Back Better Act will likely include $550 billion of incentives to transition to renewables over the next decade (“Our View: Progress on climate policy is slowly taking shape“).
However, that will only get two-thirds of the job done to reach President Biden’s goal of a 50% drop in emissions by 2030.
“Carbon cash-back” will do the rest. It’s a policy that would impose rising fees on fossil fuel producers, with the proceeds from those fees divided into equal shares delivered to every U.S. household. You and every business would be thinking of the best ways to avoid paying a pollution penalty from rising fossil fuel costs.
Instead of climate change continuing as an ominous “threat multiplier,” carbon cash-back would be a “virtue multiplier.” It would spur economic growth, and keep America leading in the world’s shift to a clean economy.
Furthermore, carbon cash-back pays for itself. It won’t enlarge the government. You pick winners and losers throughout the economy! No wonder carbon cash-back was recently approved by dozens of town meetings, and town and city councils in Maine.
If you’d like to make a difference for the climate, please contact your members of Congress now and urge them to support cash-back carbon pricing as part of the budget reconciliation package. They’re just waiting for the word from you. Click on: cclusa.org/take-action.
Peter Garrett
Winslow
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