In This Issue:
- Oregon Climate activists introduce fee-and-dividend and cap-and-dividend bills
- Tcktcktck: Carbon fee & dividend: a market-based fix for climate change?
- The Fifth Estate: U.S. Congress considers cap-and-dividend system
- Public Citizen endorses Van Hollen cap-and-dividend climate legislation; Legislation Is needed as companion to EPA rules
- Thom Hartman: Luckily for us (and the planet) not everyone thinks the way Senator Inhofe does
- Environmental Defense Action Fund: EDAF praises leadership to reduce greenhouse gases
- Capitol News Service: Van Hollen bill would promote cleaner environment, provide grants to citizens
- SF Gate: Democrat proposes carbon cash: $1,000 for every American
1. Oregon Climate activists introduce fee-and-dividend and cap-and-dividend bills:
Oregon may become the first state in the country to pass cap-and-dividend, carbon-pricing legislation thanks to the efforts of the group Oregon Climate. They have actually been successful in having two carbon pricing bills introduced into the state legislature. One is a fee-and-dividend bill and one is a cap-and-dividend bill. They’ve done so because Oregon requires a supermajority of 3/5ths to pass any revenue-raising measures, and the courts do not interpret the auction of permits to be a source of revenue. In addition, their constitution requires that all monies collected from a gas tax must be directed to a highway trust fund, but a permitting system doesn’t count as a gas tax. As a result, their priority for now is passage of the cap-and-dividend bill.
2. Tcktcktck: Carbon fee & dividend: a market-based fix for climate change?:
“Although overshadowed by Obama’s veto on Keystone XL, Maryland Congressman Rep. Chris Van Hollen recently introduced the Healthy Climate and Family Security Act of 2015, which includes a ‘cap-and-dividend’ approach to carbon pricing. Conditions of the bill, which can be read in full online, includes a declining cap to reduce C02 emissions to 80% below 2005 levels by 2050. The policy has received support from numerous Republican politicians, as well as 350.org leader Bill McKibben, who joined Van Hollen on a conference call boosting the bill. The policy could also help bridge the gap between Republicans and Democrats on climate change.”
3. The Fifth Estate: U.S. Congress considers cap-and-dividend system:
“Sierra Club federal campaign director Debbie Sease said the bill would be complementary to the near-term actions set out in President Obama’s Climate Action Plan. The bill was put before Congress on 24 February, and has now been referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Committee on Ways and Means. ‘Two of the most pressing challenges we face as a country are the economic and health risks of climate change and the middle class squeeze, and this bill offers a way to address both,’” Mr. Van Hollen said.
4. Public Citizen endorses Van Hollen cap-and-dividend climate legislation; Legislation is needed as companion to EPA rules:
“Public Citizen strongly supports the Healthy Climate and Family Security Act of 2014, so-called ‘cap and dividend’ legislation introduced today by U.S. Representative Chris Van Hollen. Public Citizen has endorsed similar efforts in the past, including Senators Cantwell and Collins’ CLEAR Act in 2009 and Senators Sanders and Boxer’s Climate Protection Act of 2013. We believe that using the EPA’s authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, along with legislation that prices carbon and refunds proceeds back to families, are important foundations of a successful effort to combat climate change.”
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5. Thom Hartman: Luckily for us (and the planet) not everyone thinks the way Senator Inhofe does:
“It would place a total cap on all carbon emissions that would grow to 80 percent of 2005 levels by 2050. At same time, it would require fossil fuel companies to buy permits for every single ton of carbon they sell on the U.S. market. 100 percent of the money made from selling these permits would then be redistributed to ‘We the People’ in the form of a quarterly dividend. Sounds pretty cool, right? But wait, it gets better! The real genius in this plan is that average Americans would get more money from the dividends program as the emissions cap increased. In other words, you and I would get richer as the planet got healthier!”
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6. Environmental Defense Action Fund: EDAF praises leadership to reduce greenhouse gases:
“Representative Van Hollen’s legislation is a serious proposal to reduce climate pollution, protect our children’s future, and boost job-creating clean energy solutions. We look forward to working with him and all Members of Congress to advance climate policy,’ said EDAF president Elizabeth Thompson. ‘We hope that Representative Van Hollen’s bill and any other serious proposals will be given a fair hearing in the House of Representatives, and we hope his example will encourage members on both sides of the aisle to provide the kind of leadership on climate change that America needs.’”
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7. Capitol News Service: Van Hollen bill would promote cleaner environment, provide grants to citizens:
“Van Hollen said Tuesday that increasing awareness and acceptance of the reality of climate change will allow the bill to gain more traction this year. ‘The climate change deniers are increasingly seen as totally out of touch with the reality of what’s happening and with American voters,’ he said during a press conference. He added, ‘You’ve seen a steady increase in awareness about the huge costs communities are paying as a result of climate change. Some Republicans recognize that they can no longer deny the reality of climate change.’”
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8. SF Gate: Democrat proposes carbon cash: $1,000 for every American:
“A leading House Democrat is laying out a new approach for the party to controlling carbon pollution that ultimately could return as much as $1,000 to every legal U.S. resident. The money would come from auctions of pollution permits to oil, coal and natural gas producers. Rep. Chris Van Hollen introduced the legislation Tuesday as a marker for Democrats heading into the 2016 presidential election, when he said he expects climate change to play a prominent role.”
CCAN encourages readers of the Cap and Dividend Policy Update to distribute it to others who might be interested. We welcome input on the contents of this publication and ideas for what could be included.
Send to Ted Glick at ted@chesapeakeclimate.org.