Price Carbon Campaign: Kerry-Lieberman Bill Is No Match for Climate Challenge

/PRNewswire/ -- While senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Joe Lieberman (I-CT) should be commended for their tireless efforts on climate and energy legislation, several flaws in their proposal will prevent it from reducing carbon dioxide to levels that are safe and sustainable, the Price Carbon Campaign said in a statement today.

"The Kerry-Lieberman bill fails the acid test of climate legislation, which is to provide clear signals on emission prices. Investors, entrepreneurs and households all need certainty in future fuel and energy prices, but Kerry-Lieberman hides these crucial price signals behind a curtain of cap-and-trade," said economist Charles Komanoff, co-founder of the Carbon Tax Center, one of the campaign members.

The Kerry-Lieberman bill also allows polluters to purchase carbon offsets, which will delay by precious decades America's transition to clean energy, the campaign said.

"Instead of making needed investments in renewable energy, utilities will have the much cheaper option of investing in third-world projects aimed at cutting carbon," said Tom Stokes, Coordinator of the Climate Crisis Coalition. "Most of these offsets do nothing to reduce current emissions, and they allow polluters in the U.S. to keep burning coal and other dirty fuels."

The campaign also said the Kerry-Lieberman bill fails to adequately protect American households from rising energy costs.

"We need to cut CO2, but we shouldn't stick hard-working families with the bill," said Marshall Saunders, Founder and President of Citizens Climate Lobby, another campaign member. "We believe all the revenue derived from pricing carbon should be returned to everyone, either through direct payment or payroll tax reductions."

The Price Carbon Campaign supports the "People's Climate Stewardship Act," introduced by Dr. James Hansen at the Climate Rally in Washington, DC, on April 25. Rep. John Larson (D-CT) and Bob Inglis (R-SC) have each introduced bills based on the same paramount principles: steadily-increasing carbon fees and recycling the revenue back to the American people.

The Price Carbon Campaign includes Climate Crisis Coalition, Carbon Tax Center and Citizens Climate Lobby.

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