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Comment 87 for 2030 Target Scoping Plan Discussion Draft (sp2030disc-dec16-ws) - 1st Workshop.
First Name: J
Last Name: Lang
Email Address: jlang11@sbcglobal.net
Affiliation:
Subject: Comments on Scoping Plan's Carbon Tax Program
Comment:
The discussion on a carbon tax would benefit from a more in-depth analysis. To that end, I’ve attached a REMI report: Environmental Tax Reform in California: Economic and Climate Impact of a Carbon Tax Swap, prepared by Regional Economic Models, Inc. (REMI), March 3, 2014. A carbon fee and dividend program designed for revenue neutrality has multiple benefits. A carbon fee is assessed in the energy supply-chain, e.g., at the point of extraction or retail sale, with the fee being based on the carbon content and associated carbon dioxide emissions resulting from combustion of said carbon. The fee increases at a fixed amount over time, which provides price/fee certainty for investors as well as incentives and time for adjusting to the increasing cost of carbon emissions. The revenue from the assessed fee is then paid out to households, resulting in revenue neutrality. By distributing the same, set dividend to each household, the repressive nature of the fee is offset. This method of addressing environmental justice reaches all impacted households in contrast to the current program, where only households in the areas covered by the selected environmental justice programs benefit directly. Finally, the REMI report notes that a fee and dividend program “… could mean 300,000 more jobs in the state and an extra $18 billion in annual GDP by 2035, $16 billion more in annual income, and a reduction of emissions by 31% from the “no-tax” baseline.” [REMI report as noted above, p. 2] Many of the disadvantages noted for a carbon fee also apply to a cap-and-trade program. For example, additional measures are already included under our cap-and-trade program, yet additional measures are considered a disadvantage of a carbon tax program as listed in the first presentation of the Scoping Plan Workshop (12/16/16). A useful source to get more information on a carbon fee and dividend program including ways to address disadvantages is Citizens Climate Lobby: https://citizensclimatelobby.org This group has spent significant amounts of time working through the mechanics of a carbon fee and dividend program and may be helpful to the Scoping Plan authors. Because of the above, a more serious look at a carbon fee and dividend program in California is warranted. This more detailed analysis should be included in the scoping plan.
Attachment: www.arb.ca.gov/lists/com-attach/89-sp2030disc-dec16-ws-UiBQM1Y6UGoCKQBj.pdf
Original File Name: REMI-CA-1.pdf
Date and Time Comment Was Submitted: 2016-12-16 15:02:31
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