Consensus solution available on climate

To the editor:

With climate change concerns increasing among both Democrats and Republicans, it’s time Congress put politics aside, take a new approach, and reach a bipartisan solution. No one party has all the answers, and we won’t address climate and air quality problems while we remain in partisan gridlock. We need a leader who can set politics aside and unify Americans behind a consensus solution: the Baker-Shultz carbon dividends plan.

This plan puts a price on carbon emissions and returns the money to the American people. A carbon fee is the most effective climate policy because it works through markets, not heavy regulations. It pairs a domestic carbon fee with a similar charge on imports at the border, ensuring that major foreign emitters will pay for their carbon pollution. Strong majorities among Republicans and Democrats agree that we must hold foreign countries accountable for their carbon emissions – by doing so, we can leverage America’s carbon advantage to the benefit of American manufacturers and workers. Senator Romney has powerfully spoken on the need for a border carbon adjustment – and the benefits for Utah’s steelmakers. This kind of leadership and fresh thinking can open people’s minds and motivate support for effective climate policies.

Luke McDermott, Logan