A group of former Republican officials will propose a plan to the White House to put in place a carbon tax in an effort to stave off climate change, the New York Times reported Wednesday morning.
James Baker III, who served as secretary of state under President George H.W. Bush, is leading the group, along with former Secretary of State George Schultz and former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson Jr., per the Times.
Baker told the New York Times that he will meet with members of the Trump administration on Wednesday, including Vice President Mike Pence, Jared Kushner, and Ivanka Trump.
“It’s really important that we Republicans have a seat at the table when people start talking about climate change,” Baker told the Times.
“I don’t accept the idea that it’s all man made,” he added, “but I do accept that the risks are sufficiently great that we need to have an insurance policy.”
Baker told the Times that the carbon tax would replace former President Barack Obama’s Clean Power Plan, a set of regulations that Republicans vehemently oppose. The money raised through the tax would be given back to consumers in a “carbon dividend,” according to the New York Times. Baker’s plan also calls for border adjustments to increase the cost of products from countries that do not have a similar tax, per NYT.
The proposal from the Republicans would also protect fossil fuel companies from lawsuits charging that they hurt the environment, the Times reported.
Baker said that Ronald Reagan may have backed the plan.
“I’m not at all sure the Gipper wouldn’t have been very happy with this,” he told the Times.
Weren’t the Republicans vehemently opposed to a Carbon tax during Obama’s terms? I didn’t keep track closely, but I think this is a complete turnaround, is it not?
Well, those who are in office who could lose the money given to them by the rich people who own oil wells would rather die than push for anything that remotely helps the environment. On the other hand, Baker has the courage that comes from not being in office and not having to worry what the Koch Brothers and their cohorts think.
Note the word former.
Every Republican elected official from Trump on down KNOWS that climate change is real and a threat. Since being out of office seems to suddenly give them the courage to say so, my plan is simple-get them ALL out of office.
I support a carbon tax with offsetting income tax credits as the best solution. It has worked in British Columbia and would work in the US.
Ohhhh…the hubris is deep here…‘We hated that damn tax when the Kenyan was running things but NOW we kinda think we need one imposed…’