Six Democrats and Republicans just grabbed the bull by the horns and submitted a bill to Congress, known as the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act.  The bill puts a fee on carbon producing sources of energy.  It will then return the money to the American people on a monthly basis so that we can decide how we want to spend the money.

Putting a price on carbon will make all things which use gas, oil, and coal more expensive, but it will also start to put our country in a direction in which there is a future.   We will be able to lessen the effect of the terrible hurricanes, droughts, heat and sea level change that we are sure to have.

The dividend will make it possible for people to decide how we want to spend our money. It also will lessen the economic impact on poor and middle-class people.   People will be incentivized to spend on energy sources which are sustainable.  The economy will change to one that is based on fossil fuels to a sustainable energy economy.

Paul Nordhaus, this year’s winner of the Nobel prize for Economics, former Secretary of state George Schultz, and former Treasury Secretary James Baker, have endorsed this as the best first step to move our economy from a polluting, greenhouse gas economy to a sustainable energy economy.

The Bill’s sponsors are Reps. Ted Deutch (D-FL-22), Francis Rooney (R-FL-19), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-08), Charlie Crist (D-FL-13), John Delaney (D-MD-06), and Dave Trott (R-MI).  Please let them know that you appreciate their actions.

This is the first piece of bipartisan environmental legislation to be introduced to Congress in ten years.  It is a very important economic step in solving our problems.

Please contact our own member of Congress, Chellie Pingree and Sens. King and Collins, and ask them to support this very important piece of legislation

Climate change effects have been grabbing the headlines and invading our pocketbooks.  Now is the time to act to ensure a better future for all of us.

Jill Standish,

Brunswick,

Citizen’s Climate Lobby