Earth Equity News

'Climate Rebates' Proposed to Offset Higher Energy Costs From Climate Legislation. By Chad Stone and Hannah Shaw, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, February 19, 2009. "Effective policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions will raise prices for energy-related products and squeeze family budgets... The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities has designed a [climate rebate, PDF, 12pp] that would efficiently offset the average impact of higher energy-related prices on low-income households... Middle-income consumers, too, will feel the squeeze from higher energy-related prices, and policymakers have expressed interest in helping offset their added costs as well. Accordingly, this report outlines two options for modifying the Center's proposal in order to extend consumer relief further up the income scale while still protecting those who are the most vulnerable. The size of the climate rebate, and how far up the income scale it extends, would be tied to the amount of funding that policymakers make available and how much of consumers' losses they want to offset."