Letter: Nationwide carbon fee is a market-based solution to our climate problem

Utah’s scenic beauty and business-friendly culture makes it one of the best places to run a business and raise a family. But if we want to preserve our appeal to job creators, we must wake up to the toll climate change is having on our state. This summer’s triple-digit temperatures are driving people to emergency rooms. Meanwhile, severe drought is becoming a yearly affair. The Great Salt Lake is at its lowest level in 170 years, drying up tourism and threatening Utah’s sizable fish food industry.

We need a plan that solves our climate problem while protecting our economy and the values that have worked so well for Utah families and businesses. The solution that fits this bill is called Baker-Shultz Carbon Dividends. This plan calls for replacing onerous carbon regulations with a nationwide carbon fee. By freeing businesses to innovate, we can go further, faster than any other climate proposal, slashing U.S. carbon emissions in half in just 15 years and improving air quality for our children. This market-based solution will also unleash American ingenuity, sowing the seeds for countless new business ideas and solutions across the economy, and here in Utah.

It’s time to get proactive on climate so that we keep Utah an attractive place to work and live for future generations. The Baker-Shultz Plan is the answer.

Jana Conrad

Holladay