First Name | Stacey |
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Last Name | Meinzen |
Email Address | staceymeinzen@gmail.com |
Affiliation | Center for Climate Protection |
Subject | Comments on the 2017 Climate Change Scoping Plan Update for Achieving California’s 2030 Gr |
Comment | Thank you for considering these comments. California has shown leadership on climate change by creating a price on carbon. It can improve the program in its next phase, and perhaps gain supporters for the program’s extension, by eliminating subsidies to the fossil fuel industry and returning Cap & Trade revenues back to people as climate dividends. Currently, a large part of Cap & Trade funds go to high-speed rail and transit-oriented development. Emission reductions from these areas are not expected to materialize for several decades. A better approach would be to return the funds back to people as a climate dividend. The California Climate Credit showing up twice a year on electricity bills is a good start. The state could expand that to an off-bill per capita dividend that would be simple, transparent, and be inclusive of disadvantaged communities - not just coastal cities. Many people do not understand climate dividends. It is about transforming the economic system, not about funding specific projects. I urge ARB staff to read Peter Barnes’ books, including Who Owns the Sky? and With Liberty and Dividends for All. The dividend can support climate justice in disadvantaged communities. The climate dividend concept can be a bridge to global anti-poverty movements focusing on the concept of "basic income," and international development efforts promoting "unconditional cash transfers." In a separate effort, a climate dividend could help the State’s considerations in establishing a State Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). The fear of “leakage” has led to the fossil fuel industry receiving millions of permits for free (even though they mostly oppose the program). The Petroleum Refining, Natural Gas Extraction, and Cement sectors received over 49 million free allowances in 2016. At $12.73 per allowance, that subsidy is worth over $629 million per year. Reducing or eliminating this subsidy would help bolster demand which has been lagging in recent permit auctions. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, |
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Date and Time Comment Was Submitted | 2017-04-10 12:52:46 |
If you have any questions or comments please contact Clerk of the Board at (916) 322-5594.