Citizens' Climate Lobby solution to pollution

Carbon Fee and Dividend

Our carbon fee and dividend proposal works like this:

A fee is placed on carbon-based fuels at the source (well, mine, port of entry).

This fee starts at $15 per ton of CO2 emitted, and increases steadily each year by $10 so that clean energy is cheaper than fossil fuels within a decade.

All of the money collected is returned to American households on an equitable basis.

Under this plan about 2/3 of all households would break even or receive more in their dividend checks than they would pay in higher prices due to the fee, thereby protecting the poor and middle class.

A predictably increasing carbon price will send a clear market signal which will unleash entrepreneurs and investors in the new clean-energy economy.