Texas Railroad Commission – Voices of Austin @CCLATX

Re: Feb. 12 letter to the editor, “Liberals’ goal of implementing deal would drive up energy costs.”

The Texas Railroad Commission’s chair refers to Texas’ oil and gas as “cheap and reliable energy.” Leaving aside his claim of reliability, he can call Texas petroleum “cheap” only by ignoring the immense cost of its contributions to air pollution and climate degradation.

This is a classic market failure. Markets work properly only if prices reflect costs, and petroleum prices that omit its environmental costs amount to an enormous subsidy, giving fossil fuels an unfair advantage over clean energy sources such as wind, solar and nuclear.

To correct the market failure, the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act would correct the market failure by imposing a fee on fossil fuels. To avoid shocking the economy, the fee begins small and rises on a predictable schedule. To prevent hardship for low-income families, the fee’s proceeds are returned to American families, giving the plan its nickname, “Carbon Cashback.”

Hamilton Richards

Austin American-Statesman

February 18, 2022

Re: Feb. 12 letter to the editor, ‘Liberals’ goal of implementing deal would drive up energy costs’

The chairman of the Railroad Commission exemplifies why we are not able to address the climate crisis. He needs to listen to what Texans want:

Climate change is not a liberal or conservative issue; it is a major crisis for humanity.
Republicans and Democrats who look at scientific facts without a bias realize that harmful emissions from coal, oil and gas are warming the planet.
A majority of Texans want sustainable energy path that would not harm our state or the U.S. and that would reduce intensity of extreme weather events.
Texas has shown leadership in renewable energy production and can continue to maintain that without sacrificing health and well-being of people if investments in clean energy were accelerated
We need to stabilize the climate, which is not possible with current policies.

Kalpana Sutaria

Austin American-Statesman

February 16, 2022