Is the U.S. known as a world leader in innovation and ingenuity? Yes!
Should we be proud of this fact? Yes!
Then why are we so wedded to the past when it comes to energy?
Fact: 373,000 Americans worked in solar energy last year – up 25 percent in recent years, similar to increases in wind employment. The total coal industry workforce of 160,000 is shrinking, according to The New York Times.
Fact: The global clean energy market is worth $7 trillion, and booming. Do we want the U.S. and Colorado to take part? Or should we continue handing it over to China?
Prominent Republicans and Democrats in Congress have proposed a market-based carbon fee and dividend program. How does it work? A steadily rising fee on carbon-intensive fuels would gradually shift investments away from fossil fuels and toward clean technology. Unlike Obama’s clean power act, this program eliminates much of the regulatory authority of the Environmental Protection Agency, allowing the market to drive down emissions. This idea would not grow government. Plus the fee revenues are returned to consumers in equal monthly dividend checks, creating an overall financial benefit for households, especially in the lower and middle income brackets.
A tariff on imports not already carbon-priced would protect American businesses, and lead other countries to develop similar policies.
Encourage Rep. Scott Tipton and Senator Cory Gardner to support this policy. Let’s create the projected 2.1 million new jobs, protect our health and invest in our children’s future.
Deborah Lycan
Durango
