F O R I M M E D I A T E R E L E A S E
SAN DIEGO, FEB. 27, 2014 – The carbon tax proposal recently introduced by California State Senate leader Darrell Steinberg has the potential to strengthen the state’s carbon reduction program, which is already the strongest in the nation, Citizens Climate Lobby said today.
“Any time you can remove uncertainty in the market, you provide the incentive for investors, businesses and consumers to move in the right direction,” said Mark Reynolds, Executive Director of Citizens Climate Lobby. “Senator Steinberg’s bill to apply a carbon tax on fossil fuels would send a clear price signal to the marketplace for the state’s economy to move toward clean energy sources and energy efficiency.”
Sen. Steinberg’s bill would impose a steadily-rising tax on suppliers of fossil fuels. Some revenue from the tax would be used to support public transportation. The rest would be rebated to taxpayers, particularly low- and middle-income households. Details of the bill are still to be worked out in committee.
CCL said today that any new legislation would have to enhance, not undermine, California’s AB32, the cap-and-trade system to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
“We want to do all we can to uphold our nation’s leading carbon reduction program,” said Reynolds, “and if Sen. Steinberg’s bill can be written in a way that complements and strengthens AB32, we have the opportunity here to achieve further emissions reductions while also softening the economic impact on families.”
Contact information for Mark Reynolds:
