Emailing "Climate Bill's Bill"
Headlines on health-care reform have dominated the news cycle this week, but climate legislation is also making some pretty important progress. Two items are especially noteworthy.
First, the Congressional Budget Office, a non-partisan and independent group, has released a
report on the estimated cost of H.R. 2454, the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (also known as the climate cap and trade bill). Taking into account the higher energy prices that would result, as well as the impact on corporate profits, behavioral changes, and the costs of offsets and permits, the CBO estimates that the total cost of the bill in 2020 (note, this is the total cost, not the annual cost) is $175 per household.
This estimate is far below what opponents of the bill have been claiming. House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) had claimed the bill would cost $3128 per household in 2018, while conservative think-tank Heritage Foundation pegged the bill at $4300 per year. Needless to say, the CBO's numbers are being
attacked and defended vigorously.
Still, this is incredibly good news for supporters of the bill. Most Americans are concerned about climate change, but are worried about the costs associated with tackling the problem. Given the choice of spending $175 or facing global apocalypse, most would choose to spend the money. And it looks like they will be given the choice soon. Agricultural issues had threatened the bill earlier this week, but it now looks like those issues
have been resolved while preserving the core of cap-and-trade. House leaders are confident enough of getting to 218 votes that they have scheduled a floor vote of the bill this Friday. Even I am a little bit surprised that the Democrats have been able to deliver the bill on schedule (the original goal was to have a floor vote by July 4 recess). If the bill does come to the floor, and if it passes, it will be momentous.
For I.T. techs and planners, the day of counting carbon emissions and (potentially) buying carbon permits to run data centers (or selling them for a profit) has taken several important inches closer.