Letter: Clean energy proposal amounts to swatting at gnats

Historic rainfall from Hurricane Joaquin causes major flooding, breaching dams and forcing evacuations. In Miami the rise in sea level caused by melting ice caps and tidal flows from the blood-red moon causes seawater to backflow through the storm drains into Miami streets.

In Pope Francis’ speech at the United Nations, the protection of the environment is fundamental to our well-being. We are blessed with abundant hydropower, but we are expected to play a positive role in preventing environmental degradation.

The clean energy proposal by senators Brown and Sheldon (Sept. 20) fails to get at the heart of problem. The senators’ approach is to use the purchasing requirement in the renewable energy law to invest “in programs like conservation, electric-vehicle charging stations, and conversion of the state ferry fleet to liquefied natural gas.” In this proposal we are reduced to swatting at gnats while the major polluters continue operations as usual.

Gregory Mankiw, in an essay in the New York Times (Sept. 6) states that when polled, economists overwhelmingly support a carbon tax. The British Columbia revenue-neutral approach is to take revenue generated by the carbon tax and use it to reduce the sales tax. Economic growth in British Columbia has not suffered.

Richland

This story was originally published November 4, 2015 at 6:58 AM with the headline "Letter: Clean energy proposal amounts to swatting at gnats."