Dec 1, 2012: Senator Kevin Ranker (D-Orcas Island) on carbon taxes

Some great carbon tax news via Crosscut about state senator Kevin Ranker from Orcas Island. We've got a meeting with him this coming Friday so hopefully we'll know more soon... but the bottom line is that carbon tax talk continues to heat up!

Nov 15, 2012: Thoughts on the Wallace/Inglis/Myers panel

Last night I moderated a panel at SPU with UW climate scientist Mike Wallace, Washington Policy Center environment director Todd Myers, and Bob Inglis, formerly R-SC and now with the Energy & Enterprise Initiative. (More on all these folks at the E&EI website.) The panelists each made a 10-minute opening statement, followed by Q&A with yours truly and the audience. Some thoughts, with the caveat that these are my recollections and not direct quotes from the participants:

1. Mike Wallace's opening statement made three main points: (1) global warming is real; (2) most of the serious impacts are decades in the future; (3) global warming is only one challenge that will face humanity at the end of this century; food production seemed to be a particular concern to Mike given unsustainable groundwater withdrawals, projected growth in human populations to 9-11 billion, etc.
2. Bob Inglis emphasized his conservative credentials and the idea that a revenue-neutral tax swap has support from other impeccably conservative folks like Art Laffer. It was easy to see that Bob had been in politics, just like it was easy to see that Mike was a scientist, in part because of their presentation styles: Bob was polished and at ease ad-libbing, while Mike read from a prepared statement and the mic had trouble picking up his voice. A somewhat deeper observation is that Bob clearly spent a good deal of time thinking about language, e.g., arguing for "tax swap" instead of "carbon tax" because it has a greater chance of resonating with conservatives who break out in hives at "carbon" and go into shock at "tax". He also emphasized repeated in his comments the hidden health costs associated with fossil fuel consumption, citing a study claiming 23,600 premature deaths from coal power plants; I believe that at least once he even referred to this as a "health tax".
3. Todd Myers argued that markets are better than political systems at dealing with environmental problems and picking winning technologies. He noted that environmentalists often argue for lifestyle changes (e.g., driving less) but that people like to live the way that the like to live and so technological progress (e.g., more fuel-efficient cars) are a more likely path to success in dealing with climate change. Like Bob Inglis he didn't have kind words for the Waxman-Markey cap-and-trade bill. (Inglis voted against it.) Todd also argued that it was a good thing that climate change didn't come up in the presidential debate because it would just lead to even more politicization and polarization.
4. Mike noted that Hurricane Sandy was only modestly connected to climate change, in that (1) it probably had a little more energy because of increased ocean temperatures and (2) the storm surge came on top of something like 8 inches of climate-change-related sea level rise over the past 150 years or so.
5. Bob noted that conservative principles argued not just for internalizing externalities but also for getting rid of energy subsidies across the board: no more Solyndras, no more accelerated depreciation for oil and gas leasing rigs.
6. Both Bob and Todd pushed back against a question suggesting that conservatives weren't worried about regressivity. They both seemed somewhat open to the "dividend" idea of using carbon tax revenues to provide a per-capita check to every American (in the same way that the Alaska Permanent Fund provides oil dividends to Alaskans).
7. There was I think a general sense that recent talk about carbon taxes at the federal level was premature and that this would be a long hard slog. Bob highlighted the fact that ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson supports carbon taxes, as does the head of mining giant BHP Billiton. (BHP also has investments in uranium that could become more valuable in a carbon constrained world, and Bob argued that BHP sees coal as ultimately unattractive because the Chinese will develop concerns about local air pollutants and perhaps climate change as well.)

Nov 14, 2012: Presentation to state Labor Council

Here's the presentation (PPTx) we gave today to the executive committee of the state Labor Council. (Note that some of the slides are grayed out, and some of them---especially the pie chart---you have to view in Presentation mode to see the whole thing. Of course, the whole pie chart plus details are in the Transportation 2-pager posted previously.

Nov 8, 2012: Carbon tax happenings

Here's the latest 2-pager on the Green Economy / Transportation option.

Eric de Place and Ian Siadak at Sightline have a great new post about the BC carbon tax. The punch line: "The province is living proof that emissions reductions and GDP growth can go hand-in-hand."

Wednesday evening Nov 14 there's a panel discussion at SPU featuring Bob Inglis (formerly R-SC, now head of the Energy & Enterprise Initiative, which makes the conservative case for revenue-neutral carbon pricing), Todd Myers of the free-market Washington Policy Center (which is co-sponsoring the event), and UW climate scientist Mike Wallace; I'll be moderating. More info at http://energyandenterprise.com/washington-policy-center-event/. Please come and please spread the word!

The day before, on Tuesday Nov 13, there's a day-long carbon tax conference in Washington, DC, with live video (and later full video at the same link). The conference is sponsored by American Enterprise Institute, the Brookings Institution, the IMF, and the environmental economics think tank Resources for the Future.

I'll be in Portland Dec 5 to talk carbon taxes (and do some comedy shows, including at Lewis & Clark). Details here.

UPDATES FROM KEN C: Boulder Colorado voted to extend their carbon-tax-ish policy. And Dieter Helm has a new piece on Yale's Environment 360: "Forget Kyoto: Putting a Tax on Carbon Consumption"

May 21, 2011: Pacific Northwest Carbon Pricing Conference

This is an archived website; scroll down
for PPTs and videos from the conference.

New location: Health Sciences Room T439
(On May 1 we moved the conference to this new location
so that we could accommodate a larger crowd.)
Sponsored by:

CONFERENCE MISSION:

To convene a diverse group of concerned citizens, business and labor leaders, elected officials, students, and scholars to learn about and discuss carbon pricing as a strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and drive clean energy development.

CONFERENCE TOPICS

1. Successful case studies, such as British Columbia’s revenue-neutral “tax shift.”
2. Ongoing efforts towards carbon pricing in the U.S., such as the Western Climate Initiative, California’s cap-and-trade system, etc.
3. Political and technical challenges and opportunities for carbon taxes in the Northwest

(Presentations will be balanced with time for questions, dialogue, and networking).

SPEAKERS INCLUDE:

• Kimberly Harris, CEO, Puget Sound Energy
• Todd Myers, Washington Policy Center
• Cliff Mass, UW Atmospheric Sciences Professor
• Yoram Bauman, World’s First & Only Stand-Up Economist
• Jim McDermott, U.S. House of Representatives (videotaped)

For more information contact Patrick@carbonwa.org. Registration form (free but required) is at the bottom of this page.

AGENDA &  SPEAKERS (as of May 1)

REGISTRATION & COFFEE - 8:30-9am

Please allow 5-10 extra minutes to find our room, which is in the T-wing of the Health Sciences Building: Health Sciences Room T439. Most of the building doors will be closed on the day of the conference, so please follow these directions (also in PDF) closely, and in case of disaster call Yoram at 206-351-5719.

• If you are walking, biking, or busing, the easiest thing to do is find your way onto the Burke-Gilman trail and then walk up onto the overpass that leads directly into the 4th floor of the T-wing; someone will be stationed at the door to let you in.
• If you are driving, please follow the map on page 4; you will need to pay $5 at the gatehouse, and then you can park underground in the S1 lot; then make your way to street level and---staying outside---walk north up the stairs into the courtyard between Wing F and Wing D; continue until you enter the E-Wing of the Health Sciences building, and then follow the signs to the conference.
• If you need wheelchair access please call Yoram at 206-351-5719.

SESSION ONE (9-10am)  Introduction

1. Welcome & comedy [Yoram Bauman, Stand-Up Economist and UW Program on the Environment] (YouTube 1.1, 1.2)
2. Climate update [Cliff Mass, UW Atmospheric Sciences Professor] (PDF, PPT, YouTube 1.3, 1.4)
3. Political update: federal, state, regional, state [Bonnie Frye Hemphill, Climate Solutions] (PDF, PPT, YouTube 1.5)
4. Q&A : 10 min (YouTube 1.6, YouTube 1.7)

Break (10:00-10:10am)

SESSION TWO (10:10-11:10am) Tax policy

1. British Columbia experience   [Jeremy Hewitt, Climate Action Secretariat, BC] (PDF, PPT, YouTube 2.1, 2.2) [Jeremy Hewitt’s views expressed in these videos do not necessarily reflect those of the Province of BC; also, to clarify a mis-statement in video 2.2, there was not one major business association in BC that opposed the carbon tax.]
2. How it could work in WA   [Eric de Place, Sightline Institute] (PDF, PPT, YouTube 2.3, 2.4)
3. Impacts on electricity  [Jim Lazar, energy consultant] (PDF, PPT, YouTube 2.5, 2.6)
4. Q&A : 10 min (YouTube 2.7, 2.8) [Jeremy Hewitt’s views expressed in this video do not necessarily reflect those of the Province of BC]

Break (11:10-11:30am)

SESSION THREE (11:30-12:30) Revenue options

1. Tax shift  [Todd Myers, Washington Policy Center] (PDF, PPT, YouTube 3.1, 3.2)
2. Other spending programs [John Burbank, Economic Opportunity Institute] (PDF, PPT, YouTube 3.3, 3.4)
3. Fee and dividend [Senator Maria Cantwell staff member Joel Merkel] (PDF, PPT, YouTube 3.5, 3.6)
4. Q&A : 10 min (YouTube 3.7, 3.8)

LUNCH (12:30-1:15pm, provided by the conference organizers on the Panera pay-what-you-will model)

SESSION FOUR (1:15-2:15pm) Perspectives Panel Discussion

Moderated by Ernique Cerna, host of KCTS 9 Connects

1. Kimberly Harris, CEO, Puget Sound Energy
2. Lars Johansson, NW Energy Angels
3. Llewellyn Matthews, Northwest Pulp and Paper Association
4. Jim DiPeso, Republicans for Environmental Protection
5. Bill Messenger, Washington State Labor Council

YouTube 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 4.6, 4.7, 4.8
Break (2:15-2:30pm)

SESSION FIVE (2:30-3:30pm) Political context and next steps

1. A view from D.C. [Jim McDermott (videotaped)]
2. Polling and voter perceptions [Patrick Leslie] (PDF, PPT, YouTube 5.1, 5.2)
3. Door-to-door lessons [Bob Jeffers-Schroder] (YouTube 5.3)
4. Lesson from CarbonWA [Phil Mitchell] (PDF, PPT, YouTube 5.4, 5.5)
5. Closing thoughts [Lisa Fitzhugh, YouTube 5.5, 5.6, 5.7]

We're putting the (carbon tax) band back together!

Hello all: This blog has not had much traffic this year because the Senate climate bill was keeping us in a holding pattern, but now that the Senate bill is dead the time has come to make a strong push for a state-level carbon tax. I am personally committed to that goal, and I've talked to others who are also enthusiastic about trying to fill the vacuum left by the failed federal bill and the struggling regional (WCI) effort.

So:

1. I definitely think we should work on an economists' letter along the lines of the 2007 letter from BC. Anybody interested in working on that with me should let me know.
2. Someone (I think someone in our group!) posted a carbon tax proposal on the website the governor is using to solicit budget ideas. If you've got a free minute or two to register and vote please do: right now the carbon tax proposal has -31 votes :)
3. Other ideas from yours truly: Write up some guiding principles for our group? Write another op-ed? Update the website? (Some deeper thinking about how to best use technology would also be fabulous.) If you have other ideas please email me or comment below!
4. If you're interested in taking part in once-a-month meetings (we used to hold these but haven't for a while), please let me know your availability and preferences for lunchtime (or 5pm?) meetings in downtown Seattle.
5. FYI, Jon Yoder of WSU and I presented our economists' view of carbon pricing (PDF) before the State Energy Strategy advisory committee earlier this month, and as far as I know folks there and at Dept of Commerce are still seriously considering a carbon tax, as are some environmental groups in town. If I have additional updates on those fronts I'll let you know.
   

PS. If you're confused about the title of this post, it's adapted from a quote from the movie Blues Brothers. Video here :)

Updates (and no meeting this week)

Hey everyone: Sorry for the late notice on this, but let's not meet on Thursday. Here's the news:

1) The Waxman-Markey time line continues to be hit by delays: Joe Romm at Climate Progress says that "now it is officially impossible to imagine a Senate vote before November. And I’d say it’s now at most 50-50 the vote isn’t until December or January."

2) Todd Myers is going to be meeting with some state legislators this month, and I'm going to try to do the same. If you have any connections or want to join the fun please let me know!

3) Last time I emailed out an invitation for thoughts on Waxman-Markey (and a heads-up that I was writing something about my own thoughts). Below are some excerpts from an email from David Oliver; I'd be happy to forward the entire email to anybody who wants it. And I can also email you a draft of an op-ed I'm working on, which (as it happens) overlaps quite strongly with David's thoughts. (The bottom line is that I think Congress should pass Waxman-Markey without the cap, and that we should keep working on a stronger form of carbon pricing.) Comments welcome, and of course I should remind everyone that the CarbonWA group as a group has no stance on Waxman-Markey but that individual members of the group are free to share their own opinions. (And if anybody else has opinions they want to share with the group please send them my way!)

4) I'm going to have trouble making meetings for the next few months because of my teaching commitments. So... hopefully we can get work done via email, and if anybody is gung-ho on meetings then let me know and we can go from there! :)

PS. I got a boost in the arm from reading Elizabeth Kolbert's plug for carbon taxes in the New Yorker. Check it out!


*********************
Dr. David W. Oliver

My background is PHD physics MIT, 33 years at GE R&D Center including managemnet positions and review of GE business strategies.

My knowledge and instincts both tell me that what is most vital in policy is a fixed long term price for fossil fuels. Any policy that results in price fluctuations will inhibit the industrial investment that must be made. Cap and Trade will enhance thosse fluctuations. Trade part will be subject to fraud without any possibility of monitoring and prosecution.

The Larson bill, ignored in congress and by many green organizations, could have worked.

Our congress will distort any legislation that is not driven by public demand and outrage into benefits for their districts and contributors. This is neither cynical nor critical. It is the basis of representative government. The reality is that US public is apathetic regarding climate change and the vested interests are among the most wealthy in the nation.

There is an extremely low probability that the Waxman bill can deliver the long term fixed fossil fuel price needed as it clears congress. It does not do so in present form.

*********************