Senator Cantwell responded to my letter asking her to put a price on carbon in the Budget Reconciliation Act.
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Dear Dr. Badalamente,
Thank you for contacting me
regarding climate change. I appreciate hearing from you about this
matter and share your sense of urgency about the need to tackle the
climate crisis.
Our nation’s leading scientists and government agencies have
determined that the buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is
causing the Earth's climate to warm, which will lead to more frequent
and intense droughts, floods, wildfires and other extreme weather
events. In Washington state, carbon pollution is already altering the
region's natural systems, causing longer and more intense wildland
fires, harming wildlife and salmon habitat, and making our oceans more
acidic and less hospitable to marine animals. Doing nothing will cost
trillions and risk leaving future generations with an uninhabitable
planet.
I believe that putting a price on carbon pollution is the most
effective and economical way to reduce our nation's dangerous
over-dependence on fossil fuels, as long as low- and middle-income
families and trade dependent industries are protected from any
associated energy price increases. That’s why I authored the bipartisan
Carbon Limits and Energy for America’s Renewal (CLEAR) Act with my
colleague Senator Collins of Maine.
Our bill would require fossil fuel producers and importers to bid
for a gradually declining number of permits in order to bring coal, oil,
or natural gas into the U.S. economy. By using an auction to put a
price on carbon, the CLEAR Act would harness the free market to find the
most cost-effective ways to reduce carbon pollution without adding to
the national debt. Of the hundreds of billions of dollars that would be
raised annually from fossil fuel producers, three-quarters would be
refunded directly to the American public through equal per-capita
monthly dividends, protecting all but the most prosperous households
from any resulting energy price increases.
The remaining auction revenues would support a range of climate
related needs including investments in clean energy technologies,
improving the resiliency of our nation’s infrastructure and public
lands, responding to extreme weather damage, reducing greenhouse gases
in the forestry and agricultural sectors, and providing needs-based,
regionally targeted assistance for communities and workers transitioning
to a less carbon intensive economy. Unlike a carbon tax, this model
guarantees that the U.S. will meet science-based emission reduction
targets and comply with our international climate commitments under the
Paris Agreement.
I am also pleased that last December Congress passed a bipartisan,
comprehensive energy package that will support major new investments in
clean energy R&D and spur the deployment of more renewable energy.
This legislation included a number of provisions I authored to modernize
our nation’s electricity grid and make buildings smarter and more
efficient across the country.
One of my bills that was incorporated in this energy package, S.
2332, the Grid Modernization Act of 2019, authorizes $1.6 billion over
eight years to fund new Department of Energy (DOE) R&D into ways to
upgrade our grid and demonstrate new technologies like energy storage,
micro-grids, and advanced electric vehicle chargers. As our energy
system faces the twin challenges of more extreme weather and the need to
incorporate millions of new sources of renewable generation, I plan to
continue pushing for the policies and federal investment necessary to
build a 21st century grid able to provide every American with, reliable,
resilient, and affordable power.
I am also working to leverage my position as Chair of the Senate
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, to push legislation
that will improve our understanding and response to climate change
impacts to our oceans and waterways. For example, I am focused on
finding ways to improve ocean data collection and monitoring as well as
bolster ocean acidification research, which is critical to protecting
shellfish and fishery resources in Puget Sound.
Throughout my tenure in the United States Senate, making our
nation’s energy system cleaner, more efficient, and more affordable has
been a top priority and I’m proud to have successfully enacted
legislation to promote the production of renewable energy, incentivize
energy efficiency, and protect our environment. Those efforts include
authoring the legislation that provides the $7,500 tax credit for
consumers who purchase a plug-in electric vehicle, securing the first
increase in fuel economy standards in 25 years, and championing clean
energy tax incentives, financing instruments, and research and
development that have enabled companies and credit markets to invest
hundreds of billions of dollars in clean energy and empower homeowners
to generate and save their own energy.
Please be assured that I will continue to work with my colleagues to
promote policies and enact laws that reduce carbon pollution and
address the climate crisis.
Thank you again for contacting me
to share your thoughts on this matter. Please do not hesitate to contact
me in the future if I can be of further assistance.
Sincerely,
Maria Cantwell
United States Senator
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For future correspondence with my office, please visit my website at
http://cantwell.senate.gov/
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