In November, Washington voters rejected a proposal to price carbon. Some say the glossy mailers and TV ads about expensive gasoline tricked people. However, beyond the marketing, some voters had legitimate questions about the revenue: What government programs would the new boards and commissions create? Would the programs for low-income families actually reach the people in need — or would those families just be left poorer, like the mailers warned?
As an elementary teacher in a far-flung rural school — where most of my students live in poverty, a significant portion have unstable housing, and all of them drive hundreds of extra miles to see a doctor or get groceries — these concerns ring loudly in my ears.
Luckily, a better proposal has already come forth. Two Republican and three Democratic representatives in the U.S. House introduced the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividends bill, HR 7173, in late November. Simply put, the bill proposes a fee on oil, coal and natural gas and gives all the money back to the people as a per-capita monthly dividend.
Would we see more expensive gasoline, energy and groceries? Marginally yes, but for the bottom 67 percent of Americans, the monthly check outweighs the extra cost. Modeling predicts that in 20 years, a household of four would receive $400 per month.
For those who worry about family finances, the federal Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividends bill presents a much better alternative that will protect our working and middle class. Better yet, the bill sets a target of 90 percent carbon emissions reductions by 2050, with a set of interim targets that meet global agreements.
Americans are tired of runaway climate change causing more extreme weather. A recent Monmouth University poll reported that 80 percent of Americans (including two-thirds of Republicans) understand the connection.
Even 55 percent of no voters on Washington’s 1631 say they could support a modified carbon tax. What we need is an effective way to address the problem without opaquely growing government.
Contact Jaime Herrera Beutler today and ask her to co-sponsor this bipartisan solution or learn more at cclusa.org/bill.
Amelia Donahey
Randle
