CURRENT MOON

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Have We Reached A Tipping Point?


From today's EEI newsletter:

Boulder, Colo., Aims to Be First City in U.S. to Adopt Carbon Tax

Residents of Boulder, Colo., are scheduled to vote next Tuesday on a referendum that could make it the first city in the United States to impose a carbon tax "on homeowners and businesses to fund efforts to reduce emissions" that contribute to climate change, USA Today reported today.

Wrote the newspaper: "If approved, the ballot measure would tax electricity usage and add about $16-$20 a year to the average residential electric bill. Businesses would pay an additional $46 a year on average, and industries an extra $3,226, according to Yael Gichon of Boulder's environmental affairs office. The tax could raise $860,000 in the first year." There has been no organized opposition and the local Chamber of Commerce endorsed the measure.
USA Today , Nov. 1.


I haven't examined this bill and the amounts involved sound rather low if the goal is to cause people to conserve energy rather than simply create revenue for the city. But the amazing thing, to me, is the final sentence. "There has been no organized opposition and the local Chamber of Commerce endorsed the measure."

1 comment:

Anne Johnson said...

I'm already paying an extra $7 per month so my electric company can buy land to build windmill farms. I'm just wondering why they need the dough - don't they get enough damn profits?