Disconcerting
Editor:
In his column in the Daily Press, Charles Andrews made a comment about how Donald Trump’s legacy may go. He refers to Trump’s several years of stimulating, rather than fighting, climate change that may result in the end of human life on our planet. Needless to say, as a grandparent, I found this extremely disconcerting.
There has been a flurry of climate bills introduced in Congress since the beginning of this year, first in the House and more recently in the Senate. They have received hardly any GOP support. One has to ask, are the Republicans in Congress so afraid of losing their seats, that they are willing to risk Armageddon on their watch?
The Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act, one of the earliest bills introduced in January, is designed with features that would appeal to conservatives. It would place an annually increasing fee on all fossil fuels with all of the proceeds returned to U.S. households. Despite the recommendations of economists, scientists, and recently, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, only one of the bill’s cosponsors is a Republican, Frances Rooney of Florida.
As the reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and other scientific organizations become increasingly dire, one would hope that enough GOP members of congress would come to their senses, and join Democrats in supporting the veto proof passage of key climate legislation.
By Barry Engleman, Santa Monica
