Good bipartisan news is coming from the U.S. Senate in the form of the Climate Solutions Caucus. It has a two-by-two rule such that a senator can only join by bringing in a colleague from the other party.
The Caucus now has 12 members. Sen. Angus King joined early on, and Sen. Susan Collins recently.

The Climate Solutions Caucus has met with industry leaders advocating for an economy-wide policy to slow climate change called carbon fee and dividend.

Most people are now aware that our climate is changing. Congress was first warned of the dangers in 1987, but since then has taken little legislative action directly related to climate change.

However, Sen. Collins called for a Government Accounting Office report in 2017 on the “Potential Economic Costs and Opportunities to Reduce Federal Fiscal Exposure to Climate Change.” It found that climate change costs could reach a trillion dollars in the 2030s unless action is taken.

More recently Sen. Collins has proposed legislation (the BEST Act) to improve our nation’s energy storage potential, and the Super Pollutants Act to reduce the release of greenhouse gases other than CO2. Both were introduced in her usual mode of bipartisan sponsorship.

With activity in the Climate Solutions Caucus, we are optimistic that both King and Collins are working to launch a “home run” climate change bill. That could be a Senate version of the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act, already introduced in the House (H.R. 763). It would effectively reduce emissions, improve health and unleash innovation to build a new clean energy economy.

Lindsey Tweed
Vassalboro

Peter Garrett
Winslow

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