Campaign News

Hello carbon tax friends: Lots of great developments to report this week!

* The case for a carbon tax: This morning Sightline published an overview of the latest iteration of our CarbonWA proposal and its benefits in terms of policy and politics: “Why Washington State Should Adopt a BC-style Carbon Tax.” Please check it out and spread the word, including on Facebook and Twitter! 

* Tax swap calculator: We now have a second draft of our carbon tax swap calculator, although admittedly it’s in the form of a fairly confusing Excel spreadsheet. By September it will become a nifty and easy-to-use online tool, but for now we at least have something that households (and creative-thinking businesses) can use to estimate how much they’d pay in carbon taxes and how much they’d save in sales taxes. (B&O taxes and more bells and whistles coming soon ? Many thanks to those of you who helped improve the first draft of the Excel spreadsheet (feedback on the new draft is still welcome via email or on the blog) and thanks in advance to UW computer science PhD student Justin Bare for the work that lies ahead!

* Events: The next meeting of the governor’s Carbon Emission Reduction Taskforce is this coming Tuesday from 10-3 in Bellevue. It’s open to the public but there will not be opportunity for public comment. (The governor is apparently going to put a draft policy on the table, and it will almost certainly be a cap-and-trade proposal; stay tuned for more.) Also in the works is a volunteer kick-off event next month and one or more fundraisers in the fall. (You can donate now to beat the rush!)

* Readings: The Wenatchee World published “Climate change has a high price” by Steven Ghan and Alex Amonette. (Congrats to Steve and Alex!) Elsewhere, Maryland Congressman John Delaney has a Washington Post op-ed (“An excise tax would give states a role in fighting climate change”) on a bill to ensure that states can use a carbon tax to meet their obligations under the new EPA power plants rules. Also “BC’s Climate Plan Is Working, so Why Stop Now?” and “Most Americans Support Carbon Tax When Revenue Is Earmarked”. (See also the Univ of Michigan Press release; one CarbonWA supporter writes that “Surprisingly, the poll shows better support for using a carbon tax to support renewables than if it is rebated to consumers.”) And let’s close with an oldie but goodie: Planet Money’s “The One-Page Plan To Fix Global Warming” from a year ago.