The Supreme Court voted 5-4 to put the Clean Power Plan on hold until arguments are heard in an appeals court (Briefs, Feb. 10). This unprecedented decision is especially puzzling as regulations were developed following an earlier Supreme Court ruling stating that carbon dioxide is a pollutant and should be regulated by the EPA under the Clean Air Act.

Fortunately there is another plan in the wings that harnesses the power of the free market to accomplish both greenhouse gas reductions and an improved economy. It is known as Carbon Fee and Dividend.

The plan has several advantages over the Clean Power Plan. Economic modeling having the support of both conservative and liberal economists has shown that it will reduce greenhouse gas emissions faster, that it will add millions of new jobs, and that it would maintain and build the economy nationwide.

The plan is to impose a steadily rising fee on all fossil fuels, across the board, not just focusing on power plants. All the money is to be returned to American households as a monthly dividend. Its effect would be to spur the development of new cleaner technologies and to put money in the hands of the public to purchase them.

This conservative plan was developed by George Schultz, Treasury secretary to President Ronald Reagan. So what’s not to like?

Please get out there in this election season and ask all candidates for office if they are going to support Carbon Fee and Dividend. Both parties in Congress could get behind it.

Peter Garrett

Winslow


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