The Feb. 18 editorial mentions a number of issues the president and Congress could be working on if they were not distracted by the unproductive debate over a border wall and the resulting government shutdown (“Our View: President Trump’s missteps demonstrate limits of power”). I would like to thank our congressional representatives who, despite this difficult situation, have continued to work on one of the critical issues mentioned, namely addressing climate change.

Reps. Ted Deutsch and Francis Rooney, both of Florida, along with other cosponsors, have introduced the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act (H.R. 673) which is designed to curb climate change by speeding our transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources.

The bill would place a steadily rising fee on all fossil fuels at their source (well, mine, or port of entry) and the money collected would be returned to all households equally as a carbon dividend.

For the majority of households, the dividend would be larger than the increase in fuel prices. As the fee increases over time, the increased cost of fossil fuels would drive the transition to renewable energy throughout the economy, including in the business and manufacturing sectors responsible for over 50 percent of our national energy use.

Because of the unique economic pressures of the agricultural sector that is the bedrock of our national economy, farmers would receive a rebate on fuels similar to the existing rebates for federal gasoline taxes.

Over the first 12 years, independent estimates from Regional Economic Models, Inc. predict a reduction of 40 percent in carbon dioxide emissions and the creation of 2 million jobs in local communities, while better air quality would save almost 300,000 lives that would otherwise be lost over the same period.

To learn more about the EICDA, go to energyinformationact.org.

Philippa Solomon
volunteer, Citizens Climate Lobby
Readfield

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