In order to move away from dirty fossil fuels, we must make polluters pay.For decades, we have talked about the need to reform our nation’s energy policy. Every president since Franklin D. Roosevelt has included energy reform in his policy agenda, and in virtually every Congress we pass an energy bill.
But since 1974, our oil imports have tripled. Today we rely on fossil fuels to meet 86 percent of our energy needs, and we are one of the largest contributors to global carbon pollution.
Why haven’t past efforts been successful in revolutionizing our nation’s energy system? Because they didn’t go far enough.
Above all, I believe that if we want to move away from dirty fossil fuels, we need to put a price on carbon pollution.
Pricing carbon would unleash market forces that drive American ingenuity toward the development of clean energy technologies. It is by far the most cost-effective policy tool available to transform our energy system. It will create incentives for business and industry to find the lowest-cost solutions to reduce carbon pollution and provide confidence to investors that the clean energy market is here to stay.<... Read more
