Americans For Carbon Dividends
Today was another great day for the EcoRight and another step closer to finding a bipartisan solution to climate change! Great coverage in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Bloomberg. A new seven-figure political action committee and campaign called Americans for Carbon Dividends has been founded in order to support the political viability of a revenue-neutral carbon tax, specifically the Climate Leadership Council’s Baker-Schultz Plan. The group is a nonprofit with a c(4) tax status. The group was founded by the group’s top lobbyists, a chief deputy whip for the Senate Democrats, former Senator John Breaux and former Senate Republican leader from Mississippi, Trent Lott. Lott told Wall Street Journal, “The tide is turning on the realization that something needs to be done in this area and the dividend changes everything. The money goes back to the people instead of into the dark, deep hole of the federal government.” Dewey Square Group will run political operations, and Hill+Knowlton Strategies will run public relations.Karen Hughes as well as political strategists’ Mark McKinnon and Joe Lockhart who advised both Republican and Democratic campaigns are advising this campaign. McKinnon told Wall Street Journal, “Providing a pollution rebate to consumers is a lightning bolt idea to unite conservatives around a solution to climate change,”. Americans for Carbon Dividends is estimated to have a first-year budget of $10 million due to donations and advertisements could start as early as fall and legislation could be introduced next year.
CLC New Members
Also announced by CLC today are new founding members including America’s largest nuclear power operator, Exelon, First Solar, AECOM, Allianz, MetLife, and the American Wind Energy Association. Two former Federal Reserve chairmen were also added to the founding members, Ben Bernanke and Janet Yellen. Christine Todd Whitman, who was an administrator of the EPA. Ms. Yellen told New York Times, “It’s something that may command bipartisan consensus and is absolutely standard textbook economics.”
AFCD’s Poll
From June 4-10, 2018, Hill+Knowlton Strategies conducted an online survey of 2,000 likely voters and found that most Americans believe U.S. environmental policy is on the wrong track (55% of the voters) and climate change is real (73% of the voters) and they are concerned (75% of voters); they want action on carbon emissions (81% of voters) and agree the government should take action to limit carbon emissions (71% moderate Republicans and 58% of strong Republicans support); and they support a carbon dividends plan (56% of the voters). Lastly, they found out that, many Republicans support the carbon dividends plan (55% of the voters) and support for the carbon dividends plan is consistent across party lines (57% of independents and 58% of Democrats).
Links to articles of the coverage