From the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, Mike Tidwell, director
Compiled and edited by Ted Glick, CCAN Policy Director
November 10, 2010
The Chesapeake Climate Action Network produces and distributes this periodic policy update on efforts to advance “cap and dividend” legislation in the U.S. Congress. The fight for this climate policy is currently being led on Capitol Hill by Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Susan Collins (R-ME). Last December these Senators introduced the Carbon Limits and Energy for America’s Renewal Act, or CLEAR Act, S-2877. Learn more at http://www.supportclearact.org.
In This Issue:
#1 Huffington Post: Australia’s Hazardous Road to Climate Action, by Peter Boyer
#2 Congress.org: Environmentalists Plan Fresh Start, by Ambreen Ali
#3 Huffington Post: Who Do You Want to Fight With Next Year?, by Bill Scher
#4 OpenSecrets.org: Koch Industries Continue to Expand Influence, by Evan Mackinder and Michael Beckel
#5 Huffington Post: Think Prop 23 is Bad? So is Prop 26, by Mike Sandler
#1 Huffington Post: Australia’s Hazardous Road to Climate Action, by Peter Boyer
“Under Julia Gillard, the Australian government has shown signs that it is prepared to shift ground on climate policy, perhaps even to embrace an interim carbon tax arrangement – similar to James Hansen’s “fee-and-dividend” proposal – that the Greens had taken to the election, in the likely event that a market-based mechanism will take a long time to bed down.”
For the full article go to: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/peter-boyer/australias-hazardous-road_b_778483.html
#2 Congress.org: Environmentalists Plan Fresh Start, by Ambreen Ali
“’There was a need for a course correction anyway as far as the dominant approach taken in this Congress,’ he said. ‘It could be that both parties cool their heads [after elections]. ’Glick’s group [CCAN] favors a cap-and-dividend model—which has bipartisan support from Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine)—as opposed to the cap-and-trade bill passed by House Democrats last year.”
For the full article go to: http://www.congress.org/news/2010/11/02/environmentalists_plan_fresh_start
#3 Huffington Post: Who Do You Want to Fight With Next Year?, by Bill Scher
“So, what fights do you want? Do you want to debate how much more government is needed to boost the economy? Or whether government is needed at all? Do you want to debate cap-and-trade versus cap-and-dividend? Or whether global warming even exists? Quite frankly, the latter is kind of tempting. Simple fights with a clear winner at the end.”
For the full article go to: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-scher/who-do-you-want-to-fight_b_775986.html
#4 OpenSecrets.org: Koch Industries Continue to Expand Influence, by Evan Mackinder and Michael Beckel
“Though the election seems to have disrupted Democratic plans for comprehensive energy legislation, Koch still made several bills a priority, including the House-approved American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, otherwise known as the Waxman-Markey ‘cap-and-trade’ bill, and the Carbon Limits and Energy for America’s Renewal (CLEAR) Act, another version of the clean energy legislation that Democrats tried to put forward in the Senate, which used a ‘cap-and-dividend’ approach.”
For the full article go to: http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2010/10/koch-industries-continues-to-expand-1.html
#5 Huffington Post: Think Prop 23 is Bad? So is Prop 26, by Mike Sandler
“The transition to a green economy won’t be free, but as the Climate Protection Campaign’s Barry Vesser notes, ‘All economic transitions have costs, so the question is who pays. The answer is easy: polluters. The oil and coal companies that introduce fossil fuels into the economy should be forced to buy permits, and a majority of the proceeds should be rebated to California citizens to help with higher energy costs. This is called cap and dividend.’ Oil companies’ economic fear tactics can be countered with dividends, and in the short term, by voting no on Propositions 23 and 26.”
For the full article go to: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-sandler/think-prop-23-is-bad-so-i_b_772339.html
CCAN encourages readers of the Cap and Dividend Policy Update to distribute it to others who might be interested. We welcome input on the contents of this publication and ideas for what could be included. Send to Ted Glick at ted@chesapeakeclimate.org. To find out more about CCAN go to http://www.chesapeakeclimate.org.
