Comment Log Display

Comment Log Display

Below is the comment you selected to display.
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



If you have any questions or comments please contact Office of the Ombudsman at (916) 327-1266.


Board Comments Home

preload