Carbon pricing


The 671 MW Monticello Nuclear Generating Station is located along the Mississippi River 40 miles northwest of the Twin Cities and provides about 10 percent of Xcel’s electricity in the Upper Midwest. Photo: Source: Nuclear Regulatory Commission/Flickr

Carbon Pricing is Key to Economic Viability of Xcel’s Nuclear Power Plants in Minnesota

, director of energy research, Clean Energy

November 8, 2018 12:01 AM EDT

A new UCS report released today found that more than one-third of U.S. nuclear plants–representing 22 percent of total US nuclear capacity–are uneconomic or slated to retire over the next decade under current market conditions. The UCS study, The Nuclear Power Dilemma, shows that the economic viability of the nation’s nuclear plants is threatened by low natural gas prices, the declining cost of renewable energy, investments in energy efficiency, and the costs of upgrading aging plants to ensure safe operation.

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Photo: Source: Nuclear Regulatory Commission/Flickr
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Washington’s I-1631: A Chance to Choose Hope, Not Fear

, director, California & Western States

November 2, 2018 1:21 PM EDT

Few issues have generated as much excitement for climate action as the Washington State carbon pricing initiative, I-1631. This initiative, developed after a painstaking and highly inclusive planning process that has garnered enthusiastic support from a large, diverse coalition of constituencies, would create a groundbreaking carbon fee on polluters that would be reinvested in Washington’s communities, businesses, and clean energy industries. While opponents to I-1631, mostly out-of-state oil companies, claim that Washington can’t afford to price and reduce carbon emissions, the fact is that individuals, businesses, and taxpayers are already footing a very large bill for the damage done by global warming pollution and the price tag will continue to grow unless emissions can be dramatically reduced. Read more >

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Cap-and-Invest: A Key Tool to Help Oregon Fight Climate Change

, Western states policy manager

January 9, 2018 5:00 PM EDT

With the Trump administration undermining federal action to address climate change, states like Oregon are stepping up to protect the planet for future generations.

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Can Republicans Find Their Voice on Climate Change via a Carbon Tax?

, Policy Director and Lead Economist, Climate & Energy

February 10, 2017 12:21 PM EDT

Earlier this week a group of conservative opinion leaders and experts launched the Climate Leadership Council, championing a national carbon tax to cut emissions and help achieve climate goals. Read more >

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Four Challenges for China’s Cap and Trade Program

, president

October 7, 2015 7:27 AM EDT

When Congress failed to pass national climate legislation in 2010, many said that marked the end of so-called “cap and trade” programs, —in which government sets an overall limit on pollution and issues pollution “allowances” that individual companies can use or trade with others. The naysayers couldn’t be more wrong, as demonstrated by the recent announcement that China will start a national cap and trade program in 2017 as a primary tool to lower its emissions of the heat trapping gases that cause global warming. Read more >

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