by Marianne Lavelle (Inside Climate News) Democratic election victories raised the odds of climate change policies succeeding, activists and analysts say. A national plan was also just floated in Congress. — At least seven state governments are poised at the brink of putting a price on climate-warming carbon emissions within the next year. Some are considering new carbon taxes or fees. Others are making plans to join regional carbon markets.
The situation runs counter to the instant analysis of the November election, which focused on a defeat for carbon pricing in Washington state and discounted incremental progress across the board.
Overall, the midterm election results increased their odds for success, say activists and analysts who are watching for the next step in a policy realm where proposals have been many but commitments to act have been weak.
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“As more states experiment, we’ll get more information, and you expand the market size for cleaner energy that’s going to create incentives for more market to sell to,” said Marc Hafstead, director of the Carbon Pricing Initiative at Resources for the Future, a think tank focused on environmental economics. “There’s a fundamental issue, though, in that the states that are ready to move don’t represent a lot of the emissions in the U.S. I think, at the end of the day, federal action is going to be required.”
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Economists have long argued that the most effective way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is to put a price on fossil fuels. It drives innovation across the board, from conservation to new, green technology, and rewards the lowest-cost approach.
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That’s why carbon pricing advocates in Congress are getting positioned to take advantage of any momentum. Rep. Ted Deutch (D-Fla.), cofounder of the Climate Solutions Caucus, introduced a fee-and-dividend bill on Tuesday with two other Democrats and two Republican members of the caucus—Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Francis Rooney of Florida. Their Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act of 2018, with an escalating fee on carbon emissions starting at $15 per ton with all revenue returned to households, has little chance of making it to the floor while the GOP still controls the House this year.
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Here is a rundown of state carbon pricing initiatives currently in motion:
Oregon
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Washington
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Massachusetts
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New York
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New Jersey and Virginia
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Hawaii
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Other states and Washington, DC
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Lawmakers from nine states have joined in a Carbon Costs Coalition to work together on ideas for design of pricing proposals.
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George Frampton, co-founder of the Partnership for Responsible Growth, a nonprofit bipartisan coalition working to build support for carbon pricing, believes climate action advocates have more work to do in educating the public on why putting a price on carbon makes sense for households and the economy, as well as for the planet. READ MORE
Carbon Tax for Non-Renewable Fuels (Advanced Biofuels USA)
Bipartisan group of lawmakers propose landmark carbon tax (The Hill)