CCL Hawaii Media Contributions 2020
November 9, 2020 - Invest in our future by tackling climate change (Honolulu Star-Advertiser)
Virginia Tincher - CCL HI Honolulu
The time has come to invest in America’s future together! Most American’s are ready to tackle Climate Change. We didn’t know fossil fuels that powered our industrial revolution had a big downside - the byproducts linger in our atmosphere and prevent some of the sun’s heat from escaping back to space and heat our land and water instead. Now we are spending billions each year to recover from increasing natural disasters and we are still subsidizing the fossil fuel industry over 20 billion dollars a year. Time to clean and cool our planet by refocusing our national investments on clean energy, carbon sequestration, energy efficiency and technology jobs. We were successful investing in fossil fuels. Now let’s do the same for our future. Part of that investment must go to help fossil fuel workers transition. Time for Democrats, Republicans and all parties to unite for this common cause!
Virginia Tincher - Aina Haina
May 16, 2020 - Clean Energy Future Could Save Money (The Maui News )
by Barry Solomon, CCL HI Maui
Imagine a future with no COVID-19 and Maui County’s economy operating at normal capacity. Under these circumstances everyone would be engaged again in business as usual. Let’s take this thought experiment further and imagine that Congress had shown real leadership and passed House bill HR 763, the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act and it was signed into law in 2019. If this had happened, every Maui family of four would have already earned $250 over the first 4 months of 2020 toward a yearly dividend payment of $750 while gasoline prices would have risen 12 cents/gallon and electricity prices less than 1 cent/kwh in order to encourage people to switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources. And it doesn’t stop there – by year 5 a family of 4 would get $3,000 a year. These dollar savings would be in addition to the money already being saved by Maui residents who have installed rooftop solar collectors and/or bought an electric car.
With HR 763 passed into law, Maui County would have already reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by around 55,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent from January through April 2020, and would have been expected to reduce its emissions by 165,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent by the end of this year. By 2030 these emissions savings would increase more than 10-fold. If you want to help make this good news a reality, join us with the Maui Chapter of the Citizen’s Climate Lobby by contacting mauicclnow@gmail.com.
Barry Solomon - Waikapu
April 18, 2020 - Local activists campaign to fight climate change (The Maui News)
Jeff Stark, CCL HI Maui
A few weeks ago, the Maui County Council passed resolutions in favor of two bills, which dealt with the concept known as “carbon pricing.”
Briefly put, “carbon pricing” reduces the amount of greenhouse gases by creating a new charge on the production of fossil fuels. The basic idea is to incentivize innovation by making polluting fuels more expensive so that users will find alternatives, primarily in the renewable energy category.
All of the fees levied against the fossil fuel producers will be returned to U.S. citizens. This bill will pay all American citizens and will not increase the federal budget deficit.
One bill is known as the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act (HR-763). It currently has 80 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives. When passed, it will reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent in 10 to 12 years, will create millions of excellent renewable energy jobs, will be revenue neutral and will further reduce reliance on fossil fuels. It will not increase the federal budget deficit.
This bill, along with hundreds of others, is currently stalled in Congress and needs to be brought to the floor for a debate and vote. As a nationwide and effective lobbying group, the Citizens’ Climate Lobby, with over 180,000 members, is deeply committed to lobby effectively for this important legislation. Here on Maui, our Citizens Climate Lobby chapter numbers nearly 300, all committed to working for the goals and promise of this vital legislation.
To join CCL, or to endorse this bill, visit www.energyinnovationact.org.
Jeff Stark - Makawao
March 14, 2020 - City right to challenge oil, gas companies (Honolulu Star-Advertiser)
by Paul Bernstein, CCL HI Honolulu
On the same day the Caldwell administration announced Honolulu is filing suit to hold fossil fuel companies accountable for the mounting costs and impacts of climate change (“City sues fossil fuel businesses over climate change costs,” Star-Advertiser, March 10), H. Sterling Burnett’s article claiming fossil fuels are the only answer to meet our energy needs appeared in the Star-Advertiser (“Oil, gas production on public lands is good for U.S., world,” March 9).
So who’s right? The continual increase in temperature over the past decades, the rise in sea level, and increase in weather-related catastrophes strongly suggests that the mayor is on the right side. Furthermore, the city administration has been on the right side in taking steps to address climate change, such as pushing for the passage of Bill 25 and establishing the Climate Change Commission.
The city deserves to be commended for its forward thinking and not listening to those from the Heartland Institute who continue to look backward.
Paul Bernstein - Aina Haina
January 17, 2020 - Kudos to County Council for addressing climate
by Carol Cam
It was wonderful to read Maui County Council Member Kelly King’s column (The Maui News, Viewpoint, Dec. 28). I applaud the council’s Oct. 4 Resolution 10-166 to include a state bill for 2020 legislation to address sea level rise. Additionally, their Dec. 20 Resolution 19-209 begins a “just transition to a safe climate” with new policies of solutions to climate change emergencies.
Hopefully, the council’s just-transition resolutions will progress to carbon neutral energy solutions. There is 97 percent scientific consensus that climate change is man-made. Many U.S. residents feel that we need rapid solutions, which must be nonpartisan. Hopefully, the U.S. Congress will enact solutions, for which they created the bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus. One solution to climate change that’s good for the economy is Carbon Fee and Dividend. A revenue-neutral carbon fee is a conservative solution, because it uses the power of the marketplace to solve the problem rather than government regulation. There are currently seven carbon tax bills in Congress.
To facilitate and speed legislation, voters need to make their desire for bipartisan carbon fee and dividend solutions known to their members of Congress. Contact your U.S. senators and representatives by letter or email.
Let us prevent climate change emergencies that put us in a situation like Wiley Coyote, as if we have jumped out of an airplane without a parachute, and now we must knit a parachute on the way down.
Carol H. Cam
Lahaina
January 2, 2020 - Fight climate change with carbon dividend act (Honolulu Star-Advertiser)
by Diana L. Van De Car, CCL HI Hawaii Island
In this time of hyper-partisanship and frightening reports about climate change, there’s good news.
Two Florida congressmen, one Republican, Carlos Curbelo, and one Democrat, Ted Deutch, started the House Climate Solutions Caucus in 2016. In two years, membership reached 45 Republicans and 45 Democrats. While some lost their seats last election, the caucus continues.
Last January, five Republicans and five Democrats introduced the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act.
This bill proposes real solutions. And the very best news? U.S. Sens. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.) just started the first Senate Climate Solutions Caucus.
In this time of turmoil and division, Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate are working together to address climate change. Write them letters of support for working together.
Ask Hawaii’s U.S. Sens. Mazie Hirono and Brian Schatz, and U.S. Reps. Ed Case and Tulsi Gabbard, to support them, too.
Diana L. Van De Car - Volcano