Earth Equity News

John Larson Pushed His Carbon Tax Bill. By Kate Sheppard, Grist, March 18, 2009. "Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.) knows 'tax' is a dirty word in Washington. He'll tell you as much. But that doesn't mean he's backing down from his assertion that a tax on carbon would be the most effective way to curb planet-warming emissions. One could say he's reclaiming the word tax and owning it. 'The worst thing [opponents] say is it's not politically feasible because the Republicans are calling it a tax. Well, that's what they call cap-and-trade too!' Larson said in an interview with Grist. 'Republicans are going to call it a tax no matter what. That's their motto'... Larson's bill, officially dubbed America's Energy Security Trust Fund Act of 2009, counts seven cosponsors so far, all of them Democrats. But Larson hopes it could be the climate plan that draws the most support from Republicans, who tend to dislike new bureaucracies and new schemes to put money into government coffers... Now, with climate-action advocate Henry Waxman (D-CA) at the helm of the Energy and Commerce Committee, that panel is getting right down to work. Its subcommittee on Energy and Environment, chaired by Markey, has been hosting at least two hearings a week for the past month on the details of climate policy. Waxman expects the committee to approve climate legislation before Memorial Day. Both Waxman and Markey introduced cap-and-trade plans last year, and plan to stick with that approach. But the Ways and Means Committee, which has primary jurisdiction over tax policy, is also flexing its muscle on climate legislation, on the grounds that either a cap-and-trade system or a carbon tax would generate revenue. The committee has ramped up hearing on climate policy... The issue of dueling committees became obvious last Thursday, as Markey's Energy and Environment Subcommittee held a hearing on 'Consumer Protection Provisions in Climate Legislation,' while at the same time, three floors down in the Rayburn House Office Building, McDermott's Ways and Means Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support held its own hearing on 'Protecting Lower-Income Families While Fighting Global Warming.' In the end, it's likely that both committees will play a crucial role in shaping what the final policy looks like. As an aide to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) noted last week, the 2007 energy bill included significant input from 11 different House committees. Many of those same committees will likely help to shape a climate bill -- no matter what form it finally takes."