Carbon pricing has received considerable bipartisan pushback, with some conservatives arguing it will raise energy costs and some progressives saying it could exacerbate socioeconomic inequalities. But the idea has also gained supporters from both political parties, with Democrats and Republicans mulling the idea as recently as last fall. Economists, meanwhile, are largely united in their belief that carbon pricing is the key to transitioning to a low-carbon future by changing behaviors and incentivizing innovation.
On April 27, EPIC hosted a deep dive conversation on carbon pricing, and how a policy could be structured to help consumers, the climate and energy security. The event included bp’s head of state government affairs and third-party advocacy, Phil Cochrane, as well as EPIC’s 2021-2022 policy fellows Heather McTeer Toney, vice president of community engagement for the Environmental Defense Fund, and former Congressman Carlos Curbelo (R-FL), who proposed a carbon tax-gas tax swap when he was in Congress. The event was moderated by EPIC’s journalism fellow, Lisa Friedman, a climate policy reporter for The New York Times. Listen to their conversation.
