In Washington D.C. on Tuesday, Nov. 27, bipartisan federal legislation was introduced to put a price on carbon, sponsored by three House Republicans and three House Democrats. This legislation followed the previous week’s Black Friday release of the “Fourth National Climate Assessment,” a dire appraisal of the impact of climate change. The Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act (H.R. 7173) is revenue neutral, similar to what CCL (Citizens Climate Lobby) has been advocating for several years and what Canada is implementing in 2019. The financial impact off the carbon pricing on taxpayers will be offset by returning the revenue to households in the form of a dividend. A fee and dividend approach to carbon pricing will reduce emissions, grow the economy, create jobs, raise incomes and move the economy away from fossil fuels. Surely it would be cheaper to slow global warming than to pay for increasingly extreme weather damages.

I urge Rep. Pramila Jayapal to support this important legislation. It’s time to set aside partisan differences and, for the good of our nation and the world, start addressing the threat of climate change by enacting the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act in the next Congress.

— Maggie Aspland