Blog

Carbon Pricing Morphs and Republicans Return

Posted: March 10, 2020

The evolution of carbon pricing in the U.S. continues, but we’re still not seeing Federal bills pass. There are eight carbon pricing proposals   currently before Congress – seven for some form of carbon tax (or fee) and one called “cap and dividend” (cap and trade). Like in previous Congresses, the chances of any of them even getting out […]

Rocket Fuel Boost

Posted: May 25, 2019

“We’re not on track to meet the Paris emission reduction goals. But putting a price on carbon will give us a ‘rocket-fuel boost’”, said Nat Keohane, VP-Climate for the Environmental Defense Fund in an April 25th webinar. International agreements and individual behavior are critical, but not enough. We need a broader set of economic incentives […]

Carbon Pricing Grows in Ten States

Posted: November 14, 2018

By now you’ve heard that Washington state Initiative 1631 – to establish a carbon fee – was defeated in the 2018 mid-terms. But carbon pricing is not defeated. Indeed, carbon pricing is thriving in ten other states – it’s called cap and trade. California (and Canadian partners) and nine Northeastern states in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative have cap and […]

A Marathon, Not a Sprint

Posted: August 31, 2018

Republican Congressman Carlos Curbelo has introduced a carbon tax bill . Although no one thinks the bill will pass this year, Mr. Curbelo is hoping to spark constructive dialog across the aisle for a bi-partisan carbon pricing agreement. That will take time. But allowing all ideas and concerns to be discussed is the only way forward. And the time may be right . Since […]

Time for All Hands on Deck

Posted: August 29, 2017

“The power of the price system to change behavior is incredibly effective, so when we impose a significant price on carbon emissions they will decline dramatically.” Bob Litterman , a recognized expert on risk management, expressed strong confidence in the power of pricing carbon to reduce carbon emissions – but we need to get price incentives now. […]

Cap and Trade Gets a Boost

Posted: July 20, 2017

California lawmakers voted July 17 to extend cap and trade to 2030. It had been set to expire in 2020. And it was done with a 2/3 bipartisan vote. That’s right – bipartisan . Seven Republicans in the Assembly voted for the bill, and one Republican in the Senate, to bring the vote to a supermajority […]

Revenue Use – Why it Counts

Posted: May 25, 2017

“We are not taking climate seriously until we price carbon”, said Dr. Adele Morris.  She then showed how we can price carbon while growing the economy and still protect lower-income or hard-hit communities from negative consequences. Dr. Adele Morris an economist at the Brookings Institution spoke in a webinar hosted by PriceonCarbon.org and the League of Women Voters […]

Is Bi-Partisanship Returning?

Posted: May 24, 2017

In the past few years, we have seen a downward spiral into rank partisanship in the U.S., crippling any reasonable potential for agreement on addressing climate change. But now we’re seeing movements toward bi-partisanship, and they are growing. We started out in our fight to preserve the environment with unified bi-partisan efforts. Strongly bipartisan legislation […]

Oreskes Nails It

Posted: March 1, 2017

“Carbon pricing is the simplest and fairest way to reduce emissions,” said Dr. Naomi Oreskes, well-known author, scientist and lecturer on climate change, in a webinar co-hosted by PriceonCarbon.org and the League of Women Voters. “Either cap and trade or carbon tax can work well; both are known and established systems.” “We shouldn’t get too […]