Faces of the Campaign: Meet Barbara Briggs

Faces of the Campaign: Meet Barbara Briggs

Faces of the Campaign is an ongoing series featuring our key organizers and stakeholders involved in “Put A Price On It, D.C.” Our coalition of 70 organizations is comprised of racial justice activists, union workers, health advocates, moms, dads, kids, retirees, and business-owners alike. Barbara Briggs is a volunteer for the campaign. Here’s her story.

What is your name and what do you do?

My name is Barbara Briggs. After over 20 years running campaigns focused on international labor rights (child labor and sweatshop abuses in factories making clothing and consumer goods for the U.S. market) I am in the process of a professional shift, to work on climate issues. I am supposedly “taking a break” for the first time in my adult life, but busier than ever working on efforts to transition our society away from fossil fuels and toward renewable energy sources.

What woke you up to the climate crisis?

I’ve always cared deeply about the environment, but the issue of climate change took on screaming urgency for me after I moved to Pittsburgh late in 2008. Western PA was in the middle of a huge resurgence of gas and oil extraction made possible by fracking. I started meeting people who could no longer use the water in their wells, whose kids were sick, whose livestock was dying.

I went to an opening of Josh Fox’s documentary Gaslands, really not knowing what to expect, and 2,000 people showed up! Many weekends we would go to a family place in the Allegheny National Forest and the destruction was horrible: bulldozed roads and gas pads all over the forest, silted streams, the smell of gas everywhere. It really drove home the damage that the fossil fuel industry is doing, on the ground in communities and natural areas all over the country, and contributing to global warming.

Why does the campaign to put a price on carbon in DC and rebate the revenue matter to you?

The campaign to put a price on carbon in DC is winnable, concrete and would allow us to make a substantive contribution toward moving our society away from fossil fuels. Something we must do and quickly, to prevent catastrophic climate disruption.

We are already losing species at a record rate. What we do now can save species, ecosystems, arable land, and communities that will otherwise be lost to sea-level rise. Economists tell us that pricing carbon is the most efficient way to accelerate the urgently needed transition away from fossil fuels and many business leaders agree. Meanwhile, using a substantial proportion of the funds to provide a rebate to citizens will help assure that this does not turn into a regressive tax that (once again) leaves low income and working families bearing the cost of change.

How is this campaign different from other environmental campaigns you’ve experienced in the past?

The Put a Price On It campaign is unique in that it is very concrete, local and winnable, yet would have significant environmental and economic impacts. We are pushing for real change, in a major U.S. city that also just happens to be the nation’s capital.

How has climate change impacted your own community?

I grew up in New England and my family is still there, mostly in Massachusetts. Winter is not normal or predictable anymore. It is warm when it should be consistently cold. Then in April this year we got hit with four major storms. The spring bulbs don’t know what to do. The trees don’t know what to do either. Fruit blossoms become frozen and collecting maple sap for syrup is impossible some springs. There’s more and more tree loss, due to stress and weird weather. Tree diseases, and human diseases like West Nile virus and Lyme disease, are becoming much more prevalent–moving up from the south and without good, hard freezes to kill them off.

What was your favorite moment in this campaign?

My favorite moment? I think that would have to be jumping into the Potomac River in January. Finally succeeding in cleaning up the spreadsheet to organize our outreach to the neighborhood ANCs–that would be a close second, but it took longer.

Tell me about a time you’ve witnessed community power.

I think we are witnessing growing community power right now, in the Put a Price On It campaign. We–a growing number of volunteers and coalition members–are raising public debate about climate change and taking responsibility into our own hands, right here in our own city. We are taking that discussion to every ward, every neighborhood, every local elected official. It’s too broad to see all at once. Often the specific events seem small. But taken all together, it is a remarkable display of growing community power.

What was your biggest accomplishment on this campaign?

I think my biggest accomplishment to date would have to be the climate event I organized at Friends Meeting of Washington to build support for the Put a Price on It campaign. The room was full. The panel, including Camila Thorndike, was really powerful. The discussion was really energized: People didn’t want to stop. And we ended up getting a lot of volunteers.

Best place to get breakfast in DC?

Best place in DC to get breakfast?: Definitely The Diner on 18th Street, open 24-7. I’ve had my bacon and eggs and coffee there at the crack of dawn, before heading to CCAN’s Polar plunge, and late at night after long ANC meetings.

Chairman Mendelson’s Recently-Introduced Renewable Portfolio Expansion Bill May Serve to Distract from the Carbon Pricing Campaign

Chairman Mendelson’s Recently-Introduced Renewable Portfolio Expansion Bill May Serve to Distract from the Carbon Pricing Campaign

RPS bill just a starting point for strong climate action; Bill for a strong and equitable carbon fee policy expected to be introduced on June 5.

WASHINGTON, DC — This week, D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson introduced a bill to expand D.C.’s renewable energy requirement to 100% by 2050. The bill expands on an existing Renewable Portfolio Standard, which calls for 50% of electricity in the District to be sourced by renewable energy by 2032.

In response, the 70-member “Put A Price On It D.C.” coalition delivered a letter expressing disappointment that Chairman Mendelson failed to consult leading environmental advocates in the District. The coalition has been urging the Council to introduce a more ambitious and timely carbon “fee-and-rebate” policy, which would put a fee on fossil fuel energy and re-invest the revenue into the D.C. community with rebates to residents and strategic investments in clean energy solutions.

The letter states in part:

Unfortunately, because [the RPS bill] only looks to action in 2033 and beyond, your proposed RPS bill will not put DC on track to meet our 2032 targets. Due to the time-urgent nature of climate disruption, immediate measures to conserve and clean up our energy use are orders of magnitude more valuable than delayed action. Your bill also does not address climate pollution related to inefficiency, transportation, or other fossil-fuel based sources in DC, including gas and home heating oil. […]

We stand united in our call for a fair, meaningful and steadily rising carbon fee, rebate, and investment solution that will equitably achieve DC’s greenhouse gas emissions goals. As you know, we are ready to negotiate on the specifics of carbon pricing legislation. And as you know from conversations with advocates over the past two weeks, the 100% clean energy goal can readily be achieved in coordination with the carbon pricing approach already under development.

The coalition calls on Chairman Mendelson to enter “a direct conversation” as a next step in melding the RPS bill with the carbon pricing proposal.

Camila Thorndike, Carbon Pricing Director at CCAN Action Fund, further stated in response:

That Chairman Phil Mendelson has proposed an expansion of the renewable energy standard to 100% by 2050 should be applauded, but it should not distract from the urgent need to implement a stronger climate policy right now.

This RPS bill needs to be seen in the context of DC’s existing policy framework and the long-standing priorities of advocates and subject matter experts in the area. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s “Sustainable D.C.” plan includes the urgent goal to reduce carbon emissions 50% by 2032. However, D.C. is not on track to meet its goals by 2032, and this bill does nothing to close the gap — it would not go into effect until 2033. This could create a delay in the city’s efforts to address the urgent challenge of climate change. Further, the renewable portfolio expansion bill does not include anything to protect D.C. residents in the transition to clean energy.

A carbon fee-and-rebate policy provides an equitable solution to the climate crisis, and it would work to drive the decarbonization that Chairperson Mendelson and Councilmember Cheh clearly seek—but only if the DC Council passes it first.

After three years of intense scrutiny, climate and economic experts have determined that a carbon fee-and-rebate policy would be the strongest and most comprehensive approach to addressing climate change in the District in an equitable manner. The renewable portfolio expansion bill, if it is enacted separately from a comprehensive carbon pricing approach, is only a small part of the package and may at this point only serve as a distraction to equitably meeting DC’s targets.

We look forward to working with the D.C. Council on the carbon fee bill with our strong coalition when it is introduced on June 5, as Councilmember Mary Cheh has proposed.

The “Put A Price On It, D.C.” coalition is comprised of more than 70 climate and justice advocacy organizations, including more than a dozen local businesses.

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CONTACT:
Denise Robbins, Communications Director, denise@chesapeakeclimate.org, 608-620-8819
Camila Thorndike, Carbon Pricing Director, camila@chesapeakeclimate.org, 541-951-2619

We have a (draft) bill.

We have a (draft) bill.

*NOTE: This is a draft bill from the Put a Price On It DC coalition – the final bill released by the DC Council may differ as it is revised and edited.

Big, exciting news from the #PriceItDC coalition!

After years of organizing and deliberating, the coalition has put together a draft of a bill that would place a fee on carbon pollution and rebate the revenue to DC residents. MANY  thanks to the several policy experts, researchers, coalition partners and legislative drafting volunteers who have worked relentlessly to bring the coalition’s vision into reality.

See the bill in full below — click through to see it all!

DC carbon fee_2018_draft

 

For the visually minded among you, check out this cool graphic showing how the policy would work:

 

 

April 13, 12:30pm: Students to rally at DC Council as time runs out for carbon bill

April 13, 12:30pm: Students to rally at DC Council as time runs out for carbon bill

Students and Teachers join Climate Advocates to Rally for Strong, Progressive Carbon Rebate Policy as D.C. Council Introduction Date Nears

Carbon fee-and-rebate policy proposed to be introduced June 5; advocates rally for a policy that is equitable and fair

Washington, DC — Dozens of students, teachers, and climate and justice advocates will join together for a rally on April 13 at 12:30pm to urge the D.C. Council to introduce a strong, progressive carbon fee-and-rebate policy. On the steps of the Wilson Building, middle school students and teachers will be joined by members of the “Put A Price On It, D.C.” coalition, which consists of 70 local organizations and businesses, to speak out in favor of the proposed policy. They will be surrounded by giant clocks noting that “time is running out” for strong climate action. At least 25 students from D.C. middle schools and universities are expected to attend, with three middle schoolers as speakers.

D.C. Councilmember Mary Cheh (Ward 3) has indicated that she will introduce the bill on June 5. The proposed carbon fee-and-rebate policy would place a fee on carbon pollution in the District and rebate a majority of revenue raised back to D.C. residents. The speakers will call on D.C. Councilmembers to ensure that the bill includes a progressive rebate to benefit all D.C. residents, especially the poor, when it is introduced.

WHAT: Climate Day of Action: DC Youth Rally for a Carbon Price
WHERE: Front steps of the John A. Wilson Building (1350 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington DC)
WHEN: Friday, April 13, 12:30pm
SPEAKERS:
– Three D.C. middle school students
– Payal Shah, Moms Clean Air Force
– Riley Place, Generation E PAC
– Kymone Freeman, founder of We Act Radio
-Camila Thorndike, CCAN Action Fund

Advocates for the proposed policy say the campaign has new momentum this spring. In autumn, Mary Cheh, head of the Committee on Transportation & the Environment, told a crowd of Ward 3 Democrats that the proposed carbon fee-and-rebate policy is a “fabulous concept” that will “have to have Council support and the mayor’s support – and [it] will.” The coalition expects a bill to be introduced early this summer with the majority support of the Council.

The “Put A Price On It, D.C.” coalition is comprised of 70 climate and justice advocacy organizations, including more than a dozen local businesses.

CONTACT:
Denise Robbins, Communications Director, denise@chesapeakeclimate.org, 608-620-8819
Camila Thorndike, Carbon Pricing Director, camila@chesapeakeclimate.org, 541-951-2619.

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The blossoms have arrived and D.C. council members are late

The blossoms have arrived and D.C. council members are late

Spring has arrived
Cherry blossoms flower as one
D.C. moves forward

Calling all Washingtonians!

Spring has arrived, yet we are still waiting on our carbon price and all the opportunity it will bring towards protecting our health and climate.

In spirit of the cherry blossoms we are asking you to use your creative energies and submit a haiku on why we need a carbon fee-and-rebate policy in D.C.!

We cannot wait any longer: we want to see the bill pass this year!

Please submit your haiku entry by Friday, April 6. The author of the winning haiku will receive a prize from a local DC business. We’ll present the winning haiku during our Climate Day of Action on April 13!

Submit your haiku here! 

#PriceItDC at the DOEE Budget Hearing

#PriceItDC at the DOEE Budget Hearing

Committee on Transportation and the Environment

On Tuesday, CCAN Carbon Pricing Campaign Director Camila Thorndike represented nearly 70 organizations when speaking to the D.C. Council about the necessity of a carbon price at the DOEE Budget Oversight Hearing.

Mayor Bowser and the D.C. council plan for D.C. to be carbon neutral by 2050. Camila reminded the council that “the least expensive fuel will win”, emphasizing how important a carbon price is as we move away from fossil fuels. DC needs substantive policy interjections if we want to have any hope of reaching our carbon neutral goal.

WATCH the amazing Camila give her testimony — or, read a script below.

 


Thank you to Committee Chair Cheh for the opportunity to testify at today’s hearing. My name is Camila Thorndike, and I am here representing nearly 70 organizations and thousands of voters behind the growing campaign to Put a Price on It D.C. We are proud to work with your office, with Director Wells, and the rest of the Council to advance comprehensive climate policy.

First, we applaud Director Wells and the Bowser administration for setting ambitious goals.

Last year, Mayor Bowser told the world “We’re Still In” the Paris Climate Accord. The Sustainable DC Plan establishes commitments for the District to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% below 2006 levels by 2032 and 80% by 2050, which the Administration again affirmed as a member of the C40 cities.

At the North American Climate Summit last December, Mayor Bowser pushed expectations even higher by pledging to make the District carbon-neutral by 2050. She said: “we will not let federal inaction hinder our progress.”

We are now over a year into Trump’s presidency. States and cities that have declared themselves leaders in the resistance now need to deliver results. So, what has been achieved so far?

The 2017 Sustainable DC Progress Report cites a 24% reduction from 2006 emission levels. Unfortunately, the lion’s share of this progress can be attributed not to local leadership, but to fuel switching at the grid level.

According to the PSC, the share of electricity provided by natural gas grew by 62 percent from 2013 to 2016. This was driven by the economics of cheap natural gas, demonstrating the power of a simple price signal: the least expensive fuel will win. (Indeed, we need look no farther to understand why carbon pricing is the most effective of climate policies.)

Unfortunately, even D.C.’s methane-driven emission reduction claims should be viewed with skepticism. In February, Environmental Defense Fund reported that emissions of natural gas, or methane — which is upwards of 86 times stronger a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide — are dramatically higher than official state accounts. In Pennsylvania, which is within the PJM grid that powers D.C., wasted gas causes “the same near-term climate pollution as 11 coal-fired power plants.”

Even if the accounting behind D.C.’s climate progress were trustworthy, it is highly unlikely that the rapid decline in emissions will continue without substantive new policy interjections.

So, in what kind of policy should D.C. taxpayers and voters place their trust for a livable future?

First, let us acknowledge that managing the entire energy transition through agency programs is an overwhelming and unreasonable demand. What is needed is a fundamental shift. The fastest way to catalyze a comprehensive, cost-effective and lasting transition to a carbon-free D.C. is a strong and equitable price on carbon.

Councilmembers and Director Wells: providing genuine climate leadership to the nation is a tough job. The market should be working for you, not against you.

With an economy-wide fee on carbon pollution, DOEE’s existing work will be supercharged. Just imagine: when the true cost of fossil fuels is appropriately accounted for, lines will form around the block for programs like Solar for All!

And while there is much to like in the DOEE budget, I want to end with a note on equity, because we are concerned about the budget’s $90,000 cut to Environmental Justice.

Any change in energy policy and programs has a price effect. In other words, nearly every single choice you make redistributes income. In the era of the radical GOP tax overhaul and significant budget surplus in D.C., there is no excuse not to ensure equitable outcomes in climate and energy policy.

This means increasing funding for Environmental Justice. It means supporting not only a carbon fee, but a carbon rebate — especially for families being punished in the current economy.

The Carbon Fee-and-Rebate creates a sustainable long-term strategy for reducing CO2 emissions, because citizens are highly likely to support a policy that will help them cope with higher energy prices during the economy’s transition to clean, renewable energy.

We are running out of time to stabilize our climate. 2017 gave us a world where truly extreme weather events appear to be the new normal – wildfires, hurricanes, droughts, a “bomb cyclone” snow storm, and 82 degree days in February.

Putting a price on every ton of carbon pollution is one of the most effective ways to equitably reduce pollution and increase prosperity. The Carbon Fee-and-Rebate would ensure we are “backing up our DC values with action,” as Mayor Bowser pledged in Chicago.

We look forward to working with you to ensure this bedrock policy is finally put into place.

How to Solve the District’s Air Quality Problem

How to Solve the District’s Air Quality Problem

By Molly Rauch

D.C. Carbon Fee and Rebate is the answer we’ve been looking for.

Right now, the D.C. City Council is considering introducing a price on carbon that would significantly drive down carbon dioxide emissions in our city — while giving revenue directly back to District residents. As a groundbreaking local response to the threat of climate change, the carbon fee and rebate policy would benefit D.C. families.

Climate change is personal, it is a major threat to my children’s health and future. It will bring more intense and frequent heat waves to our city which already suffers from oppressive and humid summers, and where, as in many cities, heat is disproportionately dangerous for the poorest communities. Additionally, extreme weather events will increase in frequency and we could see more ticks and mosquitoes which carry diseases like Zika and West Nile Virus – even possibly bringing malaria back to the region. Climate change also threatens our air, it is likely to trigger deterioration in air quality over time.

Poor air quality is not something I take lightly. As someone who has been prescribed a rescue inhaler to control my respiratory problems, I know how bad air days can affect my breathing. Sometimes it feels like a sunburn inside my lungs. Air pollution is especially dangerous for children, whose lungs are still developing into adulthood. Breathing polluted air interferes with normal lung development, increases the risk of asthma in children, and triggers asthma attacks. Here in D.C., 12% of all children have asthma, higher than the national average. If you walk into any school nurse’s office in the district you will see evidence of this epidemic – dozens upon dozens of inhalers bundled with their asthma plans.They are stacked, hung, or filed for the children who need them in case of an attack.

D.C. suffers from poor air quality due to ground level ozone, smog. The American Lung Association has given the District an F for persistent smog problems. Smog is formed when chemicals in the atmosphere react with heat and sunlight. The chemicals which undergo this reaction are known as “ozone precursors” and include volatile organic compounds (VOCs), methane, and nitrogen oxides (NOx). In D.C., ozone precursors come from our region’s infamous vehicle traffic, as well as pollution from power plants, factories, and other industrial facilities that is blown in from nearby states.

The thing about smog, is that heat and sunlight speed up the chemical reaction which creates it. As temperatures rise, smog levels also tend to rise. Climate change and the resulting increase in temperature is likely to increase smog levels in cities across the country, including our district.This will increase the asthma burden in our city, directly harming our children and families.

This is why the carbon fee and rebate policy is important for the health of our community. The policy would charge major polluters like PepcoExelon and Washington Gas for their carbon emissions. The overwhelming majority of the revenue would be returned to District residents. ​The carbon fee would apply to natural gas and oil consumed in the city as well as carbon-intensive electricity and emissions linked to transportation — exempting public transportation. Companies that buy and sell fossil fuels in our city would pay a steadily rising fee on each ton of heat-trapping pollution they cause. Returning that fee to residents through a rebate would ensure that ratepayers break even or come out ahead. Low-income families would receive a boosted rebate to help compensate for the damages of pollution they already suffer from and to alleviate poverty.

The carbon fee and rebate would result in improved air quality over time. Greenhouse gas emissions from the use of electricity, natural gas, and home-heating fuel would fall 23% relative to a business-as-usual baseline by 2032. Those co-pollutants released alongside carbon dioxide – smog precursors, NOx, and particle pollution among them – would also decline, immediately improving our local air. Moreover, D.C.’s policy could become the basis for other cities, counties, and states across the country to pass similar policies of their own. Widespread action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions will not only improve air quality, but it will also mitigate global warming.

With no voting representation in Congress, D.C. has little obvious influence on the Hill. This doesn’t mean our city can’t lead the rest of the country by implementing climate solutions at the local level which protect our health and alleviate poverty. Our city can show true leadership in the climate movement and serve as an example to cities across the country by implementing a carbon fee and rebate policy. Moms in D.C. and beyond understand this is the right path for our children’s health and future.


Molly Rauch is public health policy director for Moms Clean Air Force. She lives with her family in Washington, DC, where she serves on the District of Columbia’s Commission on Climate Change and Resiliency.

Coalition sends letter urging DC Council to support an equitable carbon rebate policy

Coalition sends letter urging DC Council to support an equitable carbon rebate policy

Representatives from 32 diverse DC-based organizations recently sent a letter to the DC Council regarding the proposed carbon fee-and-rebate policy. The letter urges Councilmembers to introduce a thoughtful and equitable carbon fee-and-rebate policy that address climate change and help all DC communities.

“Investments and rebates for our community must be at the center of what our proposal accomplishes,” the letter states. “Returning revenue to residents as both investments and carbon rebates ensures a fair approach reflective of the District’s values.”

Several Councilmembers, including Councilmember Mary Cheh, have already affirmed their support for a carbon price. In this letter, the signers emphasizes the importance rebating the money raised back to DC households to ensure that the policy does not harm poor communities, but can instead address the injustices that climate change poses to DC’s most vulnerable populations.

DC will likely be the first place in the country to pass a carbon fee and rebate policy. As such, other cities will inevitably look to DC as an example when deliberating similar legislation in the future. We must include a sizable rebate in order to promote justice and to serve as a model for future cities and states across the country.

Click here for a downloadable PDF of the letter, or read below:

Carbon Rebate Sign On Letter-2
Housing, Gentrification, and the Carbon Rebate in Washington, DC

Housing, Gentrification, and the Carbon Rebate in Washington, DC

-Written by Hayden Higgins

The link between housing and climate change might not be an obvious one. But as they always say in real estate, “Location, location, location.” And no one wants to be located where climate impacts are bound to be worst. Housing inequality is already a striking problem in DC. Climate change would make it worse.

What can we do? A carbon fee and dividend will both effectively lower carbon emissions and give residents relief from our ongoing crisis of displacement by gentrification. Making polluters pay will push the city towards clean energy, but it’ll also put money in the pocketsof residents working to keep up with surging rents.

Climate Change Will Make Gentrification Worse

Some regions will be affected more than others by climate change. For example, Floridian real estate could be decimated by encroaching seas. But it’s also true that environmental impacts are unequally distributed at the city level, too. Neighborhood-by-neighborhood, block-by-block, a “game of inches” will play out as insurers map flood risk.

DC knows that some neighborhoods bear the brunt of pollution. Residents of Ivy City, a Northeast neighborhood without a high income level, have fought for years to improve their air quality by asking the city to stop idling its bus fleet outside their homes. Here, as elsewhere, the poor are disproportionately harmed by pollution; they can’t afford to get out of its way.

As climate impacts become more apparent, an information gap will arise. The banks and real estate agents will have access to complex modeling that predicts the areas where flooding and other impacts are most likely to occur—down to the inch. These areas will be the cheapest ones, with the market shunting poor families into harm’s way.

A vision of this future is articulated in award-winning science fiction author Kim Stanley Robinson’s New York 2140, which takes place in a flooded Gotham. The moneyed Manhattanites have fled for higher ground in the Cloisters. The middle classes live in half-submerged midtown. The poor, finally, live in half-swamped “intertidal” zones where collapses and cholera are common.

How Housing Can Help?

Housing, therefore, is intimately related to the impacts of climate change. It’s also related to solving climate change. As futurist Alex Steffen has persuasively argued, building denser, more walkable cities is one of the premier ways we can cut back our carbon footprint.

It goes further than that: cities can’t just be dense, they need to have good, affordable housing. Sociologist Daniel Aldana-Cohen has argued that “working-class control of cities is crucial to bringing down carbon emissions.” A whole suite of working-class programs are also low-carbon, such as accessible mass transit, walkable and bikeable causeways, and jobs close to homes.

The Fee and Dividend Solution

You don’t need to look far to understand how a carbon fee and dividend would help ameliorate this. Our bill is projected to send a monthly rebate of $160 to a family of four by 2032. Crucially for addressing gentrification, that number is $270 for a comparative family of lower income. This gives residents who may have deep roots but shallower pocketbooks a leg up: the median DC two-bedroom apartment cost $3,190 a month last year. That means the rebate could cover 8 percent of rent, a sizable chunk.

Crucially, a solution needs to have a targeted solution for dealing with the fact that energy efficiency is often worst in housing occupied by the poorest. Utility bills are one of the main  reasons people resort to predatory payday loans, putting poor people in a vicious cycle where they can’t pay for the weather-proofing and other improvements that would help. (World Resources Institute, where I work, has written about ensuring equity in carbon pricing.)

For residents whose first need is meeting rent, the carbon fee and rebate will help keep DC habitable for its residents–in terms of a livable climate and in terms of affordable housing.

DCision18: What the DC Council candidates have to say about the carbon price

DCision18: What the DC Council candidates have to say about the carbon price

Candidate Responses on Carbon Fee and Rebate

DC for Democracy recently asked a wide range of questions to candidates about their stances on various policies. (The full questionnaire can be found here). One of the questions was this: “What is your position on the Carbon Fee Rebate proposal?” Here’s what they had to say:


Council Chair

 

Calvin Gurley— Accountant and auditor, served as a member of a mayoral commission on public housing

How can one measure it? The past practice of the Council under the current Chair is to
rob and ponder agencies’ funds. For example, the Council emptied the entire set aside
$18 million from the Housing Production Trust Fund. And after public outrage, the
council appropriated the $18 million back into the trust fund the next year. I don’t trust
the current Council to allow this rebate to filter down to the residents.

 

Ed Lazere— Executive Director at D.C Fiscal Policy Institute

I have supported the DC Carbon Fee Rebate proposal because it is an opportunity to promote environmental, economic and racial justice at the same time. In the absence of federal action on global climate change, states and cities should step in to make a difference. The proposal to put a fee-per-ton on carbon and rebating the proceeds to residents is supported by prominent economists, both liberal and conservative, and environmental experts, as a market-driven way to reduce carbon consumption by encouraging energy conservation and use of renewable energy sources. The Carbon Fee Rebate proposal would rebate the proceeds of the carbon fee to DC residents on a per-capita basis. Analysis shows that for the vast majority of lower income families, the rebate will be larger than their increased energy costs. This means the proposal not only ensures that families with low incomes are not burdened by a carbon fee, but in fact will provide an income boost to these families and reduce income inequality. This proposal is an important way to promote environmental and economic justice at the same time.

Phil Mendelson— Council chairman since 2012

I support the proposal that a fee be imposed per ton of carbon emissions to incentivize use of renewable energy sources. In that regard, I was the author of legislation that established a renewable energy portfolio standard for electric generation — that was our first effort at promoting renewables (which are carbon free). I have given advice to the advocates for the carbon bill on how I think they can get a carbon tax adopted as law.

 


Ward 1

 

Kent Boese— D.C law librarian

I fully support the Climate and Community Reinvestment Act. The proposal requires fossil fuel companies doing business in the District to pay a fee for every ton of carbon dioxide they put into the atmosphere. The policy would then rebate the overwhelming share of the collected revenue to D.C. households and small businesses such as those in Ward 1. As the Ward 1 Council member, one of the things I would look for in any legislation is how it impacts and benefits residents and businesses in my community. I am impressed by the thoughtfulness of the Climate and Community Reinvestment Act. What is compelling to me is that Ward 1 businesses such as Cork and Pleasant Pops are behind this bill – great local businesses with engaged owners who understand what it takes to thrive in D.C. while serving as a community partner.

Brianne Nadeau— Ward 1 Council member

I support this proposal and have been eagerly awaiting a draft bill to which I will proudly add my name. I’ve been talking with advocates about this idea for the past several years and I’m eager to moving it forward. I served as the chair of the Local Government Advisory Committee to the Chesapeake Bay Council as well as chair of the Metro Washington Air Quality board to COG. I do this work because climate change is already impacting our world and we have a responsibility to do all we can to impact the behavior of our residents to help protect our environment.

 

Lori Parker— Former magistrate judge in D.C Superior Court

I support the Carbon Fee and Rebate proposal.

 

 

 


Ward 5

 

Bradley Thomas— D.C Civil Litigation and Entertainment Lawyer

I am definitely in support of carbon fee rebates. For the last five years, I have been a student at the Harvard University Extension School working towards a masters in Sustainability and Environmental Management. I understand, probably better than anyone currently serving on the Council, that we must take dramatic and comprehensive action to reduce greenhouse gases or we are going to literally cook the planet. Some years ago, an organization was formed taking the name 350.org. The name was chosen based of studies that indicated that the maximum safe level of carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere would be 350 parts per million (ppm). In a few short years, we passed right through that level. Today, in February 2018, it is estimated that we have reached a CO2 level of 408 ppm. What does that mean in terms of climate change? Think about this: Globally, seventeen of the eighteen hottest years on record have occurred in this century, those years being 2001 through 2017. The other hottest year on record was 1998.

The polar ice caps are melting at an alarming rate. That means that sea level is rising. Rising sea level threatens coastal cities and poor island nations. In addition, trapped under the permafrost in Greenland and Antarctica and deep under the ocean floor, are vast quantities of methane, a greenhouse gas that is 30 times more heat trapping than CO2. Once the oceans warm to a certain level, and that methane is released into the atmosphere, we will be at the point of no return, the point from which there will be nothing we can do to halt the destruction of life on this planet as we know it. What does all of that have to do with our local political decisions? Everything. D.C. is on planet Earth and we are global citizens.

On a related front, I am also in favor of banning gas powered leaf blowers, another small but not insignificant source of CO2. Councilmember Cheh has introduced a bill before the Council which calls for the banning of the sale and use of gasoline powered leaf blowers in the District of Columbia effective January 1, 2022., I believe that legislation make sense and I am currently in the process of persuading ANC5E to pass a resolution in support of it. It’s one small step but every step is important.


Ward 6

 

Charles Allen— Ward 6 Council member

I was one of the earliest supporters of the Put A Price On It campaign to place a fee on carbon producers, which would also provide a rebate to vulnerable residents. This campaign is part of creating a more sustainable DC. In addition to this effort, I authored the legislation creating the District’s first Climate Change and Resiliency Commission; I led the fight to have the District’s retirement and pension funds divest from carbon and fossil fuel investment holdings; I wrote several bills to expand opportunities for solar installation; and I led the effort to name 2018 as the Year of the Anacostia River to celebrate and bring attention to the river on the eastern half of our city.

 

Lisa Hunter— D.C Healthcare activist

I support this proposal. I am very familiar with policies related to carbon taxes and rebates, having worked on Capitol Hill during the congressional debate of similar federal policy almost a decade ago. Policies that incentivize a shift to green energy and reduce our city’s emissions are becoming increasingly important, and policies that incentivize change by investing funds in our own communities are the optimal way to produce these results. It is also important that we pursue clean energy policy without unduly burdening low income residents who cannot afford to upgrade their homes or modify their energy source with efficiency in mind. To that end, as fees on distribution companies are increased and those costs are passed onto consumers, I would seek to revisit the percentage of carbon rebates going to our low-income residents, currently set at 15 percent. This policy is estimated to increase residential power bills by an average of $9/ month, and while that should be offset by rebates, it is an increase that could be debilitating for families who struggle to pay their bills on a month-to-month basis. We need to make sure the rebate system is designed in such a way that we are proactively insulating low-income residents from price spikes they cannot afford, particularly since they may experience these financial pressures prior to receiving rebates. I would also revise the eligibility requirements for low-income residents. I am not comfortable with requiring residents to have a photo ID or driver’s license in order to be eligible for rebates, since these requirements would inherently exclude the most vulnerable populations in our city who will depend on access to these rebates most. Presumptive eligibility would protect low-income residents from being excluded from this rebate program.


At-Large

 

Anita Bonds— At-Large Council member since 2012

In principle, I support putting a price on carbon emissions, and privatizing that cost to encourage the use of greener energy sources and to generally lower our collective energy consumption. This is important not only because it is good for the environment, but because it makes the District the kind of ethical place where people will want to live and raise a family as the Earth’s environmental crisis reaches a critical point.

Moreover, the proposal to return this tax to District residents vis periodic rebate checks would be a wonderful thing for District residents, provided that residents who use a reasonable amount of carbon-emitting energy over a period of time are able to recoup the fees they paid. This is especially important for seniors, who are less physically and financially able to radically alter their day-to-day activities to decrease their personal carbon footprints.

It is my understanding that the proposal that will come before the Council accommodates these concerns and will benefit the average District resident. As long as I and my colleagues can ensure this is the case as the legislation moves forward, then I will be in support

Marcus Goodwin— D.C Real-estate professional

The Carbon Fee Rebate proposal is a brilliant way to ensure that we are good stewards of our environment and that’s both cost effective and practical. My father has been an environmental scientist focused on our water-ways for the past 30 years. We are sufferers of a large carbon footprint because of our high proportion of out of town commuters. I would take it a step further and seek ways to tax vehicle commuters from Maryland and Virginia for their carbon impacts on our city.

 

Aaron Holmes— D.C social justice activist

I support market driven solutions to deal with rising environmental concerns. The proposed rebate incentivizes more sustainable options while relieving economic pressure on thousands of residents who are struggling to make ends meet.

 

 

Jeremiah Lowery– Works for food equity police, environmental justice, early childhood education and community empowerment

I support and campaigned for it. Down the road we should look-into using a percentage of the money to create a public utility system run on 100 percent clean energy. Putting a fee on the carbon is good, but we must now look to transitioning to a new system.