Letter: Carbon fee and dividend would reduce fossil fuel emissions, create jobs, save lives and stimulate economy

Last September, Rep. Chris Gibson (R-Fla.) introduced House Resolution 424, also known as the Gibson Resolution. It stated that climate change could adversely affect all Americans and that the House should work to address causes of global warming.

In February, Reps. Theodore Deutch (D-Fla.) and Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.) co-sponsored a bipartisan committee of 10, called the Climate Solutions Caucus. Like on Noah’s Ark, they joined two by two (one Republican, one Democrat). Their task is to reduce CO2 as soon as possible.

Legislation for a carbon fee and dividend would achieve these things, all at once:

1) Enable all Americans to help pay to reverse CO2 from fossil fuel emissions.

2) Make polluters pay for pouring CO2 fossil fuel waste into our atmosphere.

3) Reduce fossil fuel CO2, create jobs, save lives, and stimulate the economy.

4) Make clean energy competitive with fossil fuel and signal “cleaner is safer.”

5) Return the cost with a monthly dividend check to every household.

I hope Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.) will bring a new western voice to the conversation started by the Climate Solutions Caucus.

This story was originally published May 4, 2016 at 2:23 AM with the headline "Letter: Carbon fee and dividend would reduce fossil fuel emissions, create jobs, save lives and stimulate economy."