It’s time to believe what the scientists say about climate change. In Lassen County residents are dealing with unrelenting heat, the worst drought in 100 years and the Beckwourth Complex fire. Oh, and let’s not forget the lengthy power outage. So what’s not to believe?
Our warming climate is in the news more than ever, and for this I am thankful. What we hear less about is what is happening in Washington, D.C. Good news: our federal government has finally started to tackle climate change, and there are now five carbon pricing bills in Congress. The bills propose charging the big carbon polluters (oil, coal, and natural gas) a fee based on how much carbon they emit. Increased prices on fossil fuels incentivize the economy to move to cleaner energy. In several of the bills fees collected are returned to U.S. households, with almost all of the money going to those earning the least.
As I write this, 27 countries with a developed economy like ours have some sort of carbon pricing in place. Only the U.S. and Australia do not. To mitigate our warming climate the world needs to work together. Please call your congressman, Doug LaMalfa, and ask for his support on carbon pricing. D.C. office: (202) 225-3076 Chico office: (530) 343-1000.
The county board of supervisors and the Susanville City Council are no different when it comes to divisiveness that plaques most cities and counties. Community interest and leadership should be a concern for all of us. Two meetings I attended during the week of Feb. 13 were encouraging…
