Updates on website, PPT, next meeting, etc.

There's been some great work the last two weeks, so here are some updates---comments are welcome on all of these, either via email or directly in the comments section of this blog! Note that there's a proposal at the bottom for our next meeting to be Tue Aug 5, 11:30am-12:30pm downtown. Please email or comment if you have different or better ideas!

1. PPT presentation: Yoram and Bill have a draft in both PPT and 6-to-a-page PDF.
   
2. Website: Catherine and Christy have an update (also accessible through the links on the right). You can post website comments on the website itself...
   
3. Facebook page: Michael set one up, here it is!
   
4. Vision and mission statements: Here's Jason's latest effort: Our vision is to improve Washington State's tax system through policies that will strengthen the economy and reduce global warming emissions. Our mission is to build a diverse coalition of people who actively support sound climate policies in Washington State. Our main objective is to lower existing property taxes in favor of a tax on carbon emissions. We will accomplish this goal through education and coalition building, as well as the encouraging policymakers and citizens to vote for related bills and citizen initiatives.
5. One-pager: Not yet ready.
   
6. Legislative contacts and other Olympia outreach: The only update here is that Sen. Eric Oemig (D-45th district, which is Kirkland/Redmond/Duvall/Carnation) asked for a meeting with Todd Myers to discuss his (Todd's) carbon tax proposal. Jason and Yoram are still working on their tasks here.
   
7. In-person meetings: How about if we aim for the first Tuesday of each month for a downtown lunch meeting? That would make the next one Aug 5, 11:30am-12:30pm. (Beyond August we can meet 12-1pm... thanks to everyone for accommodating my summer teaching schedule :)

Notes from July 2 meeting

In short
At the end of next week (Friday July 11), check in on these to-dos:

• Yoram and Bill to work on a PPT presentation.
• Catherine and Christy to work on the website. (Feedback from everyone welcome from the comments form on the website itself!)
• Jason and Catherine to refine the mission/vision statements. (See below, feedback welcome!)
• Phoebe to work on one-pager.
• Yoram and Jason to contact legislators and other Olympia folks.
• Yoram to suggest dates for August meeting.
• Michael to look into Facebook, Alice to continue building resource list.
  

In length
In attendance (as private citizens unless otherwise noted): Catherine, Bill, Jeff, Phoebe, Jason, Aaron, Christy, Yoram.

Legislative route
Discussions with legislators and other Olympia folks made it clear that getting this through the legislature would be tough, especially since it would probably be subject to Initiative 960, meaning that it would either need a 2/3rd majority or an "advisory vote" from the state's citizenry. Nonetheless, Bill found folks connected to House Democrats "more receptive than he thought they'd be."
To do:

• Yoram and Jason (others welcome!) to continue getting feedback from legislators and other Olympia folks and try to find someone willing to introduce legislation in January 2009.
  
• Yoram and Bill to work on a 5-10 min PPT presentation.

Initiative route
The most immediately feasible options are a 2009 Initiative to the Legislature or a 2010 Initiative to the People.

• The 2009 Initiative to the Legislature would require gathering 250,000+ signatures between March and December 2009 to put the initiative at the top of the legislative agenda in January 2010; the legislature would then have three choices---pass the measure (in which case it would become law), put it on the ballot in November 2010, or put both it and an alternative on the ballot in November 2010.
  
• The 2010 Initiative to the People would require gathering 250,000+ signatures between January and July 2010 to put the initiative on the ballot in November 2010.

To do: Yoram to invite signature-gathering guru Katherine Bragdon to come talk at a future meeting.

Vision and mission statements
Here are Jason's draft:

• Vision: To improve Washington State's tax system through policies that will strengthen the economy and reduce global warming emissions.
• Mission: Our mission is to build a diverse coalition of people who actively support sound climate policies in Washington State. Our main objective is to lower existing property taxes in favor of a tax on carbon emissions. We will accomplish this goal through education and coalition building, as well as the encouraging policymakers and citizens to vote for related bills and citizen initiatives.

To do: Everyone to offer feedback, Jason and Catherine to refine.

Policy details
We briefly discussed tax rates ranging from $5-$25 per ton of CO2, which are equivalent to $0.05-$0.25/gallon of gasoline. Perhaps there was a rough consensus on targeting around $1 billion in revenue, which would be a tax of about $10-15 per ton of CO2.
Also: Some folks from the legislature and elsewhere are keen on having more money directly funding energy efficiency efforts (e.g., property tax rebates only for specific projects), some right-wing folks are keen on funding a B&O investment tax credit, and the UW student crowd is keen on having money for clean energy research. We didn't reach much of a conclusion, but the general parameters are still in the range of 80% for property and business tax relief, 15% for low-income groups, 5% for clean energy R&D.
To do:

• Everyone to continue thinking about this
• Yoram to try to get specific ideas about the 15% for low-income groups
• Phoebe to work on a one-pager

Outreach
Have a website and a Facebook group as a public face, with this blog for international communications, this wiki for details on policy nuts and bolts, and this wiki for legal issues, policy brainstorms, relevant articles, etc.
To do:

• Catherine and Christy to work on the website, with feedback welcome through email and/or the comments section of the website.
  
• Yoram is in charge of the blog
• Michael is looking into Facebook