HomeMy Public PortalAboutRES-CC-2019-19RES OLUTION# 19-20 19
A RESOLUTION URGING THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS TO ENACT
THE ENERGY INNOVATION AND CARBON DIVIDEND ACT OF 2019
WHEREAS, climate change has been widely recognized by government, business and academic
leaders as a worldwide threat to our economy, safety, public health, and quality of life; and
WHEREAS, the long-term consequences of climate change — including increased heat,
prolonged drought, destructive wildfires, increased flooding, and reduced stream flow — are
devastating to Moab's tourism and recreation -based economy and quality of life; and
WHEREAS, Moab has recognized the threats of climate change to Grand County and pledged
to take a leadership role in promoting public awareness, education, and outreach about how the
economy, environment, and societal well-being interrelate to each other within the confluence of
climate change, to better prepare our citizens to mitigate the impacts of — and confront the
negative impacts of — climate change in a more productive manner; and
WHEREAS, we are joined in taking action on climate change by a global coalition of local,
state and national governments, businesses and individual leaders who recognize these actions'
capacity to protect and enhance the well-being of current and future generations; and
WHEREAS, the October 2018 United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
(IPCC) special report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5 °C above pre -industrial levels
warned that we are likely to reach 1.5°C between 2030 and 2052 at the current rate; and
WHEREAS, the IPCC reported that we have only 12 years left to make massive, unprecedented
changes to global energy infrastructure to limit global warming to moderate levels; and
WHEREAS, the US Global Change Research Program's November 2018 Fourth National
Climate Assessment reported that impacts of climate change are already being felt in
communities across the country, and that more frequent extreme weather and climate -related
events and changes in average climate conditions are expected to continue to damage
infrastructure, ecosystems, and social systems that provide essential benefits to communities; and
WHEREAS, conservative estimates by the world's climate scientists state that to achieve climate
stabilization and avoid cataclysmic climate change, emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) must
be brought to 80-95% below 1990 levels by 2050; and
WHEREAS, the environmental, health, and social costs of carbon emissions are presently not
included in prices paid for fossil fuels, but rather these externalized costs are borne directly and
indirectly by all Americans and global citizens; and
WHEREAS, the transition away from fossil fuels can be accelerated through a market -driven
mechanism, such as a carbon fee and dividend, which encourages and empowers residents to
reduce and replace their consumption of fossil fuels with renewable and other less carbon -
intensive energy sources, conservation and heightened efficiency, thereby reducing harmful
pollution and leaving a healthier, more stable, prosperous nation for future generations; and
WHEREAS, the Moab City Council last year unanimously passed Resolution #32-2018 calling
on the US Congress to pass legislation leveling a revenue -neutral fee on the carbon in fossil fuels
at the point of production or importation sufficient to encourage individuals and corporations to
produce and use less fossil fuels, and to make the transition less onerous on the economy and
consumers by returning revenues generated from this fee to American households; and
WHEREAS, bi-partisan legislation titled the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act of
2019 (H.R. 763) is currently being proposed to assess a national carbon fee on fossil fuels based
on the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) the fuel will emit when burned, and allocate the collected
proceeds to all American households in equal shares in the form of a monthly dividend; and
WHEREAS, for efficient administration, the fossil fuels fee can be applied once, as far upstream
in the economy as practical — or at the port of entry into the United States; and
WHEREAS, per H.R. 763, a national, revenue -neutral carbon fee starting at a relatively low rate
of $15 per ton of CO2 equivalent emissions {and resulting in equal charges per ton of CO2
equivalent emissions potential in each type of fuel or greenhouse gas) should be assessed to
reduce current dangerously high CO2 emissions. The yearly increase in carbon fees (including
other greenhouse gases) shall be at least $10/ton of CO2 equivalent/year, with the Department of
Energy determining whether an increase larger than $10 is needed to achieve program goals; and
WHEREAS, H.R. 763 specifies that in order to protect low- and middle -income citizens from
the economic impact of rising prices due to the carbon fee, equal monthly per -person dividend
payments shall be made to all American households (V2 payment per child under age of 19) each
month from the fossil fuel fees collected. The total value of all monthly dividend payments shall
represent 100% of the net carbon fees collected per month; and
WHEREAS, H.R. 763 is projected to, after 12 years, lead to a decrease in America's CO2
emissions of 40 percent and an increase in national employment of 2.1 million jobs; and
WHEREAS, border adjustments — carbon content -based tariffs on products imported from
countries without comparable carbon pricing, and refunds to our exporters of carbon fees paid
can maintain the competitiveness of US businesses in global markets; and
WHEREAS, a national carbon fee can be implemented quickly and efficiently, and respond to
the urgency of the climate crisis because the federal government already has in place needed
mechanisms such as the Internal Revenue Service to implement and enforce the fee, and already
collects fees from fossil fuel producers and importers; and
WHEREAS, a revenue -neutral carbon fee would make the US a leader in mitigating climate
change and in 21 st-century clean energy technologies, and would provide other countries
incentive to enact similar carbon fees, reducing global CO2 emissions without the need for
complex international agreements.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the City of Moab urges the United States
Congress to enact without delay the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act of 2019, H.R.
763, and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City Manager or City Clerk, no later than 34 days
after passage of this Resolution, shall transmit copies of this resolution to the President and Vice
President of the United States, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Majority Leader
of the Senate, and each US Senator and Representative from the State of Utah in the Congress of
the United States, and to nearby city and county governments urging that they pass similar
resolutions.
The foregoing resolution is approved and adopted by action of the Moab City Council, as set
forth below.
1
Mayor Emily S. Niehaus
Attest: r
Sommar Johnson, Recorder
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