Washington, DC – The Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) applauded today’s introduction of the bipartisan Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act of 2018 (EICDA) by Reps. Ted Deutch (D-FL), John Delaney (D-MD), Charlie Crist (D-FL), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), and Francis Rooney (R-FL).
Contact: Tim McHugh, Friends Committee on National Legislation, media@fcnl.org; 202-903-2515
“The Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act is an exciting advancement of Congressional efforts to price carbon emissions and reduce greenhouse gases,” said Diane Randall, FCNL Executive Secretary. “As the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report makes clear, carbon pricing is one of many important policy tools that will be necessary to at long last address climate change.”
The EICDA would reduce American carbon pollution by 33% below 2015 levels in ten years, with a 90% reduction target by 2050, exceeding more than three times the emissions reductions from the Clean Power Plan. Under the EICDA, 100% of the net revenue from the legislation would be returned to individual households.
“We believe it is critical to ensure that low-income communities are not harmed and will come out ahead in climate legislation. We are pleased that analysis of the carbon fee and dividend has found that the financial benefits of the dividend model are concentrated mainly among low-income and other vulnerable individuals. However, we urge Congress to pass additional solutions that protect and advantage the most vulnerable frontline communities,” explained Emily Wirzba, FCNL’s Legislative Representative for Sustainable Energy and Environment.
“As the National Climate Assessment makes abundantly clear, we have an urgent, moral obligation to address climate change. We have concerns about limiting regulatory authority, but I’m grateful to see continued bipartisan support for carbon pricing coming from Congress. As we continue to see climate-exacerbated extreme weather events devastate communities around the country, we look forward to further strengthening this and other pieces of climate legislation in the next Congress. We can’t wait any longer,” concluded Wirzba.
To learn more, please visit www.fcnl.org.
