Up in the Air

By Bill Polits

First we had Waxman-Markey, then Boxer-Kerry, then Kerry-Graham-Liebermann, and now Cantwell-Collins? What's going on?

Since we’re biding our time waiting until Monday’s release of details on the Kerry-Graham-Liebermann senate climate bill, let’s take a moment to explore the “Cap-and-Dividend” bill, the Carbon Limits and Energy for America’s Renewal (CLEAR) Act introduced by Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME).

In a nutshell, this new legislation would impose a financial penalty on upstream actors - those who bring carbon into the economy, such as coal and oil companies, rather than downstream actors - those who use the carbon-laden fuels. These companies will pass the costs on to consumers, but the government will then pay individuals a monthly "dividend" to offset increased costs. Check out the article at solveclimate.com and the short videos, below for an explanation.

The powers that be haven’t embraced the idea of Cap-and-Dividend, but since some form of this legislation could make its way into the Kerry-Graham-Liebermann bill, we thought you might like to know about it.