By: Sylvester Johnson

Sylvester Johnson — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 15:12:25 +0000

Only one advocate is needed to help get a resolution passed by a large city or county government, with copies sent to federal lawmakers representing each government, publicizing the advantages of a tax: federalcarbontax.org

By: Dave Burdick

Dave Burdick — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 21:21:56 +0000

It’s an interesting gesture, but then again, aren’t there towns in Vermont or New Hampshire in which there were unanimous/ineffectual votes to impeach most of the executive branch of the federal government? How different is a symbolic vote from a letter to a congressperson?

By: Sylvester Johnson

Sylvester Johnson — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 03:35:46 +0000

Advocates are being sought nationwide for this Initiative for local governments’ resolutions in support of a federal carbon tax. Both conservatives and liberals could consider endorsing this Initiative, because emissions trading acts like a disguised tax, but trading is more expensive and at the same time less effective, and more readily abused than an actual tax.
Whether the next President is Republican or Democrat, legislation is likely to get enacted to reduce fossil fuel emissions. Here’s a model for making a federal carbon tax politically possible:
A resolution in support was drafted in Dec. 2007. In Jan. 2008 the resolution passed the Planning Committee of the City of Ithaca, NY (Ithaca joins nationwide debate on carbon tax, cap and trade). On 02/06/2008 the resolution passed Ithaca’s Council, only two months after the resolution was first drafted, the political equivalent of turning lead to gold.
Copies of the resolution were sent to officials representing Ithaca at state and national levels, as well as to the U.S. Conference of Mayors, sending a signal that a carbon tax is politically possible. As the number of local governments that pass such resolutions increases nationwide, the magnitude of the news will increase with ever greater publicity.
This Initiative does not require money or much time, only an average of an hour a week to contact local elected officials to get the resolution on the local agenda until it comes up for a vote. The only training required is reading the sample resolution and background information at http://www.federalcarbontax.org.
After passage, the resolution requires no further commitment on the part of the advocate or the local government. Yet this relatively easy political action publicizes the benefits of a federal carbon tax.
The debate between a tax and emissions trading may seem remote from daily life, but the outcome will substantially affect citizens. Many economists both conservative and liberal support a federal carbon tax.
The reasons for this broad-based support for a tax are that emissions trading acts like a disguised tax as the costs disperse throughout the economy. In addition, trading is more expensive due to traders extracting fees, and at the same time less effective because of trading away the responsibility to reduce pollution. Furthermore due to persistent problems with quantification and verification trading is more readily abused than an actual tax.
To keep emissions trading from making energy costs extremely volatile, a maximum permit “stop” price has been proposed. However with such a stop price in the federal legislation, governmental sales of extra permits to pollute blow away the regulatory cap, resulting in a critical failure. Yet without this maximum permit stop price, trading increases the volatility of energy costs, making it more difficult to justify investments in energy conservation and renewable energy. Both results are counterproductive for the goal of reducing heat-trapping emissions.
In summary, an actual federal carbon tax is better for the economy because the majority of revenues get refunded. A tax is less expensive because of simpler administration, more effective because it’s consistent, as well as more equitable than the disguised tax of trading.
To find out further reasons to support a new tax, please see the non-profit Initiative for a federal carbon tax at http://www.federalcarbontax.org. Also available from that page is a free model resolution with enough points included so that it’s self-explanatory, as well as detailed background information, examples and analysis. The resolution could be modified as desired with little time commitment.
Could you volunteer an hour a week to work with a city, county, or other local government on this Initiative for a few months? Do you know anyone who might? Please check out http://www.federalcarbontax.org or forward this email. The Coordinator of the Initiative, Sylvester Johnson, Ph.D. Applied Physics, can be contacted via the website for free email or phone consultation.

Comments on: What Ithaca Did

By: Sylvester Johnson

By: Dave Burdick

By: Sylvester Johnson