Thompson should join climate caucus

A recent survey by the Yale Program on Climate Communication, reported in The New York Times, found that in every congressional district in the country “a majority of adults supports limiting carbon dioxide emissions from existing coal-fired power plants.”

It reported that 69 percent of adults nationwide supported the Obama administration measure to limit emissions. Overall, the Yale study found that 75 percent of adult Americans support the regulation of carbon dioxide as a pollutant.

A more effective approach than regulation would be a carbon fee and dividend program as proposed by Citizens’ Climate Lobby and a similar measure proposed by several prominent Republican statesmen including George Schultz, Henry Paulso, and James Baker.

I encourage Rep. Thompson to join fellow Republican Pennsylvania representatives Costello, Fitzpatrick and Meehan in the House Climate Solutions Caucus to promote this bipartisan market-based solution. By joining the caucus, Rep. Thompson would show real leadership on an issue of importance to the overwhelming majority of Americans and his constituents.

This story was originally published March 24, 2017 at 10:17 PM with the headline "Thompson should join climate caucus."