With the 51st Earth Day celebrated on April 22, as a conservative and Republican voter I conclude carbon pricing will be utilized by the U.S. government within five years.
About a dozen states have a Cap and Trade on carbon. Key U.S. trading partners with carbon pricing include Canada, Mexico, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and European Union. China is anticipating carbon pricing.
A 2020 study issued by three universities indicates 75 percent of adults in Congressional District 8 support regulating CO2 as a pollutant; 64 percent favor fossil fuel companies paying a carbon tax.
In December 2021, the Evers Administration will issue its report on implementing carbon pricing in Wisconsin.
As conservatives and Republicans, we must have a Plan B so we can protect the American people, our country, and children’s future with the inevitable establishment of a carbon tax. That is also why a cash dividend to America’s lower and middle classes is so especially important and must be part of any carbon taxation plan.
The challenge for Republican politicians and voters with inevitable carbon pricing is: What input now can we take now to influence the choices being made to alter outcomes and unforeseen consequences.
I conclude that Citizens Climate Lobby’s Carbon Fee and Dividend plan and the Energy Act of 2020 are the best options today for a level playing field which allows market forces to develop an all-the-above approach for a better energy future.
Trey Foerster
Iola