Push for a carbon emissions tax
A carbon emissions tax is a huge long-shot in today’s political climate, but that’s not deterring former congressman Bob Inglis.
Push for a carbon emissions tax A carbon emissions tax is a huge long-shot in today’s political climate, but that’s not deterring former congressman Bob Inglis. John Kerry and Lindsey Graham offer bi-partisan proposal on climate legislation Democrat John Kerry and Republican Lindsey Graham don’t agree on much. The above photo from FOX News Sunday shows the two Senators sparring in the fall of 2008. The two Senators, however, have teamed up to write a compelling Op-Ed in today’s New York Times in which they argue for a bi-partisan approach to addressing climate change legislation. This is a must-read for anyone who cares about this issue, and it could offer some real momentum for an issue that many believe will be stalled in the Senate. If Lindsey Graham is on board, one would think that he could bring along more Republicans. One reason Graham is on board, and there’s hope to bring along more Republicans, is the emphasis on using nuclear power as one of the options. The left needs to become pragmatic over nuclear power, and realize that it offers the key to obtaining broad support. Kerry and Graham also signal that a compromise is needed on domestic drilling. The clean energy revolution will not happen over-night, and if we need to rely in the short term on some fossil fuels, it’s better for the U.S. economy to use more domestic oil. We certainly shouldn’t subsidize it, but in the context of a carbon tax or cap-and-trade, permitting more domestic production makes tons of sense, particularly given the current economic crisis. Hopefully, this can be the starting point for a grand bargain on energy. Posted in: Conservation, Energy Independence, Global Warming, Renewable Energy, Sustainability Tags: bi-partisan climate change legislation, bi-partisanship, cap and trade, carbon tax, clean energy compromise, clean energy revolution, climate change, climate change legislation, domestic oil production, Fox news, grand bargain on energy, John Kerry, Lindsey Graham, New York Times, nuclear power Read this article about the battle between natural gas and solar power in Colorado and you’ll get a great idea of the complexity surrounding the clean energy issue. Over time, this stuff will get sorted out, and the subsidies for clean energy clearly have a positive impact. That said, there’s legitimate concern that all the competing interests will create a nightmare set of regulations once Congress gets through with the new climate bill. This presents another compelling case for a simple carbon tax over cap-and-trade legislation. George Soros will invest $1 billion in clean energy George Soros is getting serious about climate change.
It will be interesting to see if the advocacy by Soros helps to tip the debate in the U.S. towards a carbon tax as opposed to cap-and-trade. |