The message below was emailed to President Obama on July 3.
Bill Allen, 08-03-10 <> OFFby2050
Dear Mr. President:
We need a bold national program to build a sustainable economy powered by clean energy and to phase out fossil fuels. Because this program will stimulate new technologies and generate good American jobs, let’s name it ReEnergize America.
I urge you to call for the program to ReEnergize America with the goal to stop burning fossil fuels by 2050. As with the Apollo moon program, Americans will rise to the challenge and solve the problems. As with Apollo, the program will raise our spirits in the decades ahead and renew our confidence.
A core component of ReEnergize America should be a system of carbon fee-and-dividend. Impose fees on all fossil fuels, collect them at the source (mine, well, port of entry), and return the revenues to the people as dividends.
Start the fees low, say by an amount that will add 10-15 cents per gallon to the price of gas at the pump. Increase them by this amount each year. The prices for products and services that depend upon fossil fuels will rise gradually. Consumers, entrepreneurs, inventors, and investors will have increasing incentives and time to plan and act constructively. The outcomes will include production of more clean energy, products that use less energy, and changes by people to use less energy.
The carbon fee will not be a tax. Except for a small administrative cost, all revenue will be divided and returned promptly and directly to legal residents.
These dividends will help people adjust to higher prices and purchase products and services that use less energy. People who do best in controlling their energy use will come out ahead.
The enabling legislation for carbon fee-and-dividend should be simple and make no concessions to special interests. Some important consequences:
Fee revenue will remain in the private sector.
- The market place, not the government, will determine winners and losers among providers of energy and products and services that use energy.
- Government subsidies will not be necessary to encourage people to conserve or use clean energy.
- Because there are no concessions to special interests, the system will be fair and be seen that way.
I propose that you declare the rest of 2010 to be a period of dialog on ReEnergize America. Then call for enabling legislation in 2011.
If you lead, Americans will follow. If America leads, the world will follow.
Please lead, Mr. President.