Congressional Budget Office

Effects of a Carbon Tax on the Economy and the Environment

A carbon tax’s effect on the economy depends on how lawmakers would use revenues generated by the tax. The tax would help reduce U.S. emissions but would have only a modest effect on the Earth’s climate without a worldwide effort.

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H.R. 1211, FOIA Act

As ordered reported by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on March 20, 2013

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H.R. 1384, Wildlife Refuge System Conservation Semipostal Stamp Act of 2013

cost estimate

As ordered reported by the House Committee on Natural Resources on May 15, 2013

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H.R. 316, Collinsville Renewable Energy Promotion Act

cost estimate

As ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on May 16, 2013

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S. 447, Black Hills Cemetery Act

cost estimate

As ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on May 16, 2013

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S. 330, HIV Organ Policy Equity Act

cost estimate

As ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions on March 20, 2013

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H.R. 271, Resolving Environmental and Grid Reliability Conflicts Act of 2013

cost estimate

As ordered reported by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on May 15, 2012

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H.R. 1092, a bill to designate the air route traffic control center located in Nashua, New Hampshire, as the “Patricia Clark Boston Air Route Traffic Control Center”

cost estimate

As ordered reported by the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on May 16, 2013

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H.R. 1613, Outer Continental Shelf Transboundary Hydrocarbon Agreements Authorization Act

cost estimate

As ordered reported by the House Committee on Natural Resources on May 15, 2013

Re: A block-head​ed decision

by Judd Legum

Last week, we told you about our big goals for expanding our coverage of climate change, and we asked for your help.

We’re blown away by your support for serious investigative journalism on the most important issue of our time.

But we have not yet met our goal. If you haven’t had a chance to contribute, it’s not too late.
Will you donate today to help us break new ground in environmental journalism?

The Other Washington ~~~ Sierra Club

 

The current budget from the Senate virtually stop all water protection work done by the department of ecology. While Sierra Club has managed to stop a number of bad bills this session that would have reduced state authority to protect streams and clean water, we are now facing an even greater threat. The State Senate, with strong support from agribusiness and developers has just passed a budget that would cut the Department of Ecology’s Water Resources Program by 50%! This would effectively eliminate enforcement of our water laws and dramatically reduce efforts to protect clean and abundant water for salmon and our families.   Contact your legislators and ask them to reject ESSB 5034 and restore funding to Department of Ecology programs. We need to protect clean and abundant water supplies in our state.  We need to let legislators know that our water supplies must be protected! Please help us protect the Department of Ecology. We are also working hard to make sure that the legislature adopts a Transportation Budget that does not exacerbate climate problems. We support a package that promotes transit and bike / pedestrian projects.We want to make sure that new road projects are properly scaled and designed to reduce urban sprawl and climate impacts. Contact Cody young at cody.young@sierraclub.org to receive alerts on this topic. Thanks for all you do for the environment, Brian Kilgore, Sierra Club Cascade Chapter

Congress has got a real nasty habit

Right now, way too many lawmakers in Washington flat-out refuse to face the facts when it comes to climate change.

We’re never going to make real progress on this issue unless members of Congress get serious. Instead, some of them have made a habit of publicly mocking it.

We thought it was time to call them out for denying what’s basic science.

The science matters in this.

That’s the message way too many people in Washington need to hear right now.

In 2011, there were 240 members of Congress who voted to say that climate change is a hoax.

Most of them are still around today, and they’re getting away with it — some of them are actually proud of it. They think the whole debate is pretty funny.

If we want to make progress on climate change, we need everyone in Congress on board for a solution. It’s our job to show them there’s a price to pay for being a climate denier.

Take a look at this video above and join the fight:

 

Get ready — more on this coming soon.

Thanks,

Jon

Jon Carson
Executive Director
Organizing for Action
@JonCarsonOFA

Building the climate movement

During the past couple of weeks, over a billion people in 192 countries took action for Earth Day, and many people like you helped build an impressive digital mosaic capturing The Face of Climate Change.  

 

People organized rallies, demonstrations, clean-ups, tree plantings, educational events, andmore to protect their local environment and to raise the profile of the most pressing environmental issue of our time:climate change. Countless others made personal commitments to live more sustainably.

In fact, The Face of Climate Change has received such a strong response that we’re going to continue the campaign!

Your actions and stories have the power to inspire the world and are essential to building this new climate movement; keep them coming! They’ll serve as an interactive and personalized petition to world leaders as Earth Day Network and our partners push for strong international and domestic climate policies.

The Face of Climate Change again proves that a lot of little actions add up to something big. Join the movement – and bring your friends! Together, we’ll make a difference in 2013 and beyond.

                    -  The Earth Day Network Team

CARE2 : Real Food, Copper Mine in AZ and more

Real Victory for Real Food Challenge                                     The Real Food Challenge, a national, student led organization dedicated to building a just and sustainable food system, marked a real victory for students… read more

Awful Copper Mine in Arizona Would Have Devastating Environmental Impact                                     Rosemont mine would impact ecology of Arizona’s unique “sky islands” read more

10 Oil Spills in a Single Month That Have Been Covered Up                                     As politicians take steps to advance the Keystone Pipeline project, oil spills and accidents continue to occur throughout North America. In the past month… read more

Teacher Asks Students to Persuasively Write That “Jews Are Evil”                                     An unnamed teacher at Albany High School in Albany, New York has been placed on an indefinite suspension after asking her students to write a persuasive… read more

North Dakota Lawmaker: Banning Abortion Will Help Women ‘Realize’ They Don’t Want One After All                                     Rep. Bette Grande is no stranger to anti-choice efforts to coerce women out of their decision to terminate a pregnancy. read more

What’s in your water?

		by Mary Anne Hitt Beyond Coal Campaign Director Tell President Obama: Heavy metals and toxic sludge don’t belong in our water! If you’re drinking a glass of water, you might want to put it down before you read this email. Burning coal for electricity produces ash and sludge full of arsenic, boron, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury, and selenium. Where do you think it all goes? That’s right — the same power plants that are causing asthma with their soot and wrecking our climate with their carbon are also dumping tons of toxins into our waters. And without federal rules to stop them, those plants would keep on sending toxic sludge into rivers and streams, where it threatens swimmers and boaters, poisons wildlife, and wrecks ecosystems. Send a letter to President Obama and urge him to move ahead with plans for strong protections from toxic wastewater right away! Power plants produce more toxic waste than any other industry in the United States, including the chemical, plastic, and paint manufacturing industries. They spew millions of pounds of pollutants into our waters every year — toxins that are dangerous even in very low concentrations. Your drinking water is safe because we do a great job of filtering and cleaning, but our wildlife and ecosystems aren’t so lucky. The problem’s only getting worse as coal plants get older and dirtier. The EPA estimates that the amount of toxic wastewater from these plants is going to increase 28% over the next 15 years. That means more heavy metals and more toxic sludge in our waters — more contaminated rivers, more unhealthy streams, more poisoned wildlife. Tell President Obama that now is the time — before it’s too late — to give us safeguards against toxic wastewater. Let him know that clean water is too precious to wait another day! Every step we take toward clean air and water helps keep our communities and our environment healthy… and it also takes us one step closer to the clean-energy future where our nation finally realizes that coal’s real cost — in climate destruction, toxic water, and poison air — is simply too high. Thanks for everything you do to protect the environment, Mary Anne Hitt Beyond Coal Campaign Director P.S. Six letters are better than one! After you’ve taken action, please forward a copy of this message to five of your friends and family. Or spread the word on your social networks with the share buttons below.

#FaceOfClimate

Today, exactly two months before Earth Day, Earth Day Network has announced the global theme for Earth Day 2013: The Face of Climate Change.

Why? Climate change can seem like a remote problem for many, but the fact is that it’s already impacting real people, animals, and beloved places all over the world. These Faces of Climate Change are multiplying every day. Fortunately, others are too: those stepping up to do something about it. For Earth Day 2013, we’ll tell the world these stories. We’ll tell the world your stories.

Between now and Earth Day, we’ll collect and display images that show The Face of Climate Change – and we need your help.

On and around Earth Day – April 22 – an interactive digital display of all the images will be shown at thousands of events around the world, including next to federal government buildings in the countries that produce the most carbon pollution. The display will also be made available online to anyone who wants to view or show it.

You can upload your photos and stories here.  If possible, include a face in the picture and hold up a sign that says “The Face of Climate Change.” You can also post photos to Twitter and Instagram using this hashtag:

The Face of Climate Change will not only personalize and make real the massive challenge that climate change presents, it will unite Earth Day activities around the world into one call to action at a critical time. Join the movement!

- The Earth Day Network Team

Less stuff, more orangutans

 

Give the gift of RAN.

Forget Black Friday. It’s Non-Profit Tuesday! (No, we didn’t make that up.)

The holidays are coming up soon, and you’re probably starting to look for gifts for your loved ones. But—going out on a limb here—I’m willing to bet you don’t want to give a bunch of useless stuff to your friends and family. That’s why we’re excited to offer a variety of gifts that will make a world of difference without crowding our world with more disposable junk.

A Certificate of Action from RAN isn’t stuff—it’s a unique way to support our work to protect rainforests around the world and the people and wildlife that depend on them. You’ll be giving a meaningful gift to a loved one while at the same time doing something good for the planet.

Action Packed Gifts for 2012
	Found only in Malaysia and Indonesia, man’s closest relative is being threatened by rapid loss of rainforest habitat. Your gift will support efforts to stop the devastating expansion of paper and palm oil plantations into Indonesia’s tropical forests, saving the lush wild places that orangutans call home.
	Your gift directly supports the grassroots efforts of historically underfunded organizations and communities struggling to protect their rainforest homelands—known to be the best guardians of the forest. Help ensure that small local organizations and Indigenous federations across the globe are supported in their efforts to protect the world’s remaining rainforests for many generations to come.
	There are less than 400 Sumatran tigers remaining in the wild and habitat destruction by the pulp and paper industry is a primary cause of their decline. Your gift will support RAN’s campaign to stop the conversion of Indonesia’s stunning and diverse rainforests into a wasteland of single species pulp plantations to make cheap copy paper, books, tissue and toilet paper.
	The biggest banks are threatening to take us to the edge of an ecological catastrophe if they don’t stop funding coal, the primary driver of climate change. Coal is responsible for 20 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions and poisons the world’s streams, rivers and oceans with mercury, arsenic and other dangerous chemicals. It’s long past time that U.S. banks start funding a renewable energy economy.

Celebrate the holiday spirit this year by giving a gift that makes a world of difference. Thank you for your ongoing support!

		For the rainforests,
		Scott Kocino Membership Manager

P.S. These creative gifts make it easier than ever to support RAN’s work for the environment.

Rainforest Action Network

 

		This December 1st, our friends EQAT will be visiting PNC Banks all over the region with samples of drinking water taken directly from a contaminated well in Eunice, West Virginia. This is an opportunity to challenge PNC on its record as a ‘Green Bank’ with a tangible example of the consequences of mountaintop removal affecting thousands of families in Appalachia, and to emphasize that our work isn’t just about the environment, it’s about human rights. EQAT has a group of action organizers ready to lead demonstrations in over 10 different locations. The only question now is: Will you join them, or will you be leading an action of your own? Go here to get more info on how you can get involved and to view a full list of actions. EQAT is an organization committed to building a movement to stop climate change. Anyone who cares about the future of this planet should stand up on December 1st and take action in their area to send PNC a message—the people of Appalachia are more important than a corporate bottom line. Participants are bringing samples of contaminated water to branch managers, holding fake ‘taste tests’ outside of the bank to educate passersby, taking nonviolent direct action inside and outside of bank branches, and closing their accounts to protest PNC’s investments. What type of action is right for you? Maybe you and 2 friends want to visit your local PNC on December 1st. Maybe it’s you and your whole community. Either way, if you’d like to hold an action at a PNC in your area (and hook up with EQAT for support and resources to make it easier), or just want to find an action to attend, let them know by emailing eqateam@gmail.com. For the mountains, Amanda Starbuck Energy & Finance campaign