Water & Climate Resilience Committee

The Bay Area Council’s Water & Climate Resilience Committee on Thursday (Feb. 13) featured a robust discussion on the merits of a US carbon tax at its first meeting of 2020. Representatives from Business Climate Leaders, part of the Citizens Climate Lobby, presented to the committee on HR 763. If signed into law, HR 763 would impose a $15/ton tax on all carbon emissions in the US. The tax would increase by $10 plus inflation annually, and the revenues would be distributed to every American citizen. A Columbia University study estimates the tax would reduce emissions by about 35% and generate about $4,350 in annual dividend income for a family of four.

Other discussion topics included updates on the Council’s advocacy on a new Climate Resilience Bond for the November ballot, and new research on the ability of wood markets to improve forest health and reduce fire risks in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and foothill regions. To engage on the Council’s Water & Climate Resilience Committees, please contact Vice President Adrian Covert.