Alaska’s draft climate change plan includes a recommendation the state implement a statewide carbon tax while also supporting a national tax on carbon. The draft plan is being prepared by Gov. Bill Walker’s Climate Action Leadership Team, and in the current iteration, the tax would be used to fund other adaptation, monitoring, and education efforts. According to task force member Luke Hopkins, the tax is one recommendation to fund “the goals that we have.” Oil and gas companies would pay the fee and that cash would be used to help fund energy efficiency projects and studies on the impacts of climate change.
“I think it will stick in the plan,” Hopkins said. “I don’t think there’s an overwhelming consensus in the group recently that says we don’t want to put anything about carbon pricing. That’s why it’s in the plan right now.”
The plan will be submitted to Walker in September.