Comments on Hey, Democratic Majority. Please Get Real About CO2 Emissions Already.

Cap and trade is the best. Even better when you auction off the rights for cash.

Tax credits suck. They're just off-budget subsidies.

Good points. Let the market rule! Only Reds like the Bushies would hate something so pro-capitalist as the cap-and-trade C02 emissions market.

I'm not sure what he has to say about cap-and-trade systems, but it's worth noting that Al Gore has been advocating a carbon tax, offset by a cut in payroll taxes.

I have no doubt that a straightforward tax is far more effective than a complicated cap-and-trade system. I also have no illusion that the problem with a tax is always political. So the sole advantage of a cap-and-trade system seems to be political -- that it's not a tax. But the only way for it to be effective is for it to wind up being a hidden tax.

Anyway, here's a detailed discussion of the deficiencies of cap-and-trade systems vs. carbon taxes.

Maralyn Chase also has a cap and trade bill House Bill 1210: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=1210

HB 1210 is modeled after Assembly Bill 32, the California cap and trade bill that Schwarzenneger just signed into law with great fanfare. The House Agriculture and Natural Resources held a hearing on both the caps bill and the tax credit bill. While no longer denying the science, the business community pooped all over both bills. Enviros testified in favor of the caps bill while staying silent on the tax credit bill.

HB 1210 is a good bill that would put Washington at the vanguard on this issue, along with California. But, it's not going to go anywhere unless the people get activated on the issue and let their legislators, and the governor, know how important this is.

How about requiring all companies to meet a specific emissions standard and fining them to death if they fail to comply? The environment's going to hell. Fuck half measures.

@3 - the thing is, carbon taxes may sound good, but won't survive the political process, whereas cap-and-trade actually works and some major multinationals are pushing since under Kyoto they already have to use them.

Results matter. Very un-Seattle, I know, but that's what WORKS. The planet doesn't care if we kill ourselves off, after all.