Sen. Whitehouse says ‘carbon pollution fees
are getting real’
Signs that carbon pricing could end up in the reconciliation bill continue to be encouraging. The latest indication comes from Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse’s Twitter posts. Sen. Whitehouse, who sits on the Senate Finance Committee currently drafting climate provisions in the budget reconciliation bill, tweeted on Friday that “methane and carbon pollution fees are getting real in reconciliation.” The Rhode Island senator also posted this tweet about an op-ed from CCL’s Mark Reynolds that was published in The Hill. You can scroll through CCL’s Twitter feed to see more of Whitehouse’s recent climate tweets. The flurry of posts from Whitehouse comes on the heels of a leaked report that the Senate Finance Committee is considering a “per-ton tax on the carbon dioxide content of leading fossil fuels... upon extraction, starting at $15 per ton and escalating over time.” As the Senate moves closer to including carbon pricing among legislative solutions to climate change, now is a good time to ask President Biden to express his support for this essential tool.
In other news this week: Senate reconciliation draft: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer wanted the various committees working on the budget reconciliation bill to release their drafts today, and that was when we hoped to hear whether carbon pricing made the cut. However, as is common with the legislative process, it’s taking a bit more time. As soon as we know something, we’ll send an email alert to all of our supporters. Jayapal among new cosponsors for H.R. 2307: Three more House members have cosponsored the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act: Rep. Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Rep. James Langevin (RI-02) and Rep. Barbara Lawrence (MI-14). As chair of the Progressive Caucus, Rep. Jayapal’s endorsement is significant because it could signal growing support among liberals for carbon pricing. Why more cosponsors now? It likely has to do with our recent three-week campaign to contact House members about supporting a price on carbon. The number of representatives who’ve signed on to the bill now stands at 84. CEPP explained: This week, the House released draft legislation for an incentive plan to cut carbon emissions in the electricity sector, which is known as the Clean Electricity Performance Program. CCL Strategy Director Tony Sirna provides a thorough explanation on how the program would work in this post on CCL Community. Braver Angels workshop: With today's polarized politics, it's a good idea to check in with yourself about how you view people on the "other side." The next "Depolarizing Within" workshop with Braver Angels, taking place this Saturday, can help. Register here. |
