A realistic timetable for greenhouse gas regulation under the Clean Air Act
The politics remain “a heavy lift,” as Bailey and Bookbinder put it. Many people think that the idea of getting Republican support for a proposal, the second word of which is “tax,” is risible. But they should stifle their laughter: there are growing signs that Republicans are giving a carbon tax serious consideration, especially if it is made revenue-neutral. The R Street Institute’s president, Eli Lehrer, has recently written about the promise of a carbon tax, and so has “Eric Bradenson,” a pseudonymous Republican Hill staffer who reports that some Republican members are quietly looking to change the party’s direction on climate change policy. When looking into the coming decades, members of both parties ought to soberly assess the costs of pursuing the path the President has laid out. There is a better way.
