Yet Another New Study Shows Revenue-Neutral Carbon Tax Would Slash CO2 Emissions, Increase Jobs

Cross posted from Scaling Green, as I think this has relevance to Virginia, in which fossil fuel extraction, refining, etc. (as in Rhode Island) make up a miniscule percentage of the economy(which is dominated by professional and technical services, government, real estate, healthcare, other services, retail trade, etc. Of course, it would be great to do a study like this one specifically focused on Virginia, but for now, the national and state trends are clear: switching to a clean energy economy and putting a price on carbon would benefits Virginia's economy, as well as its environment, in a big way. The question is, what on earth are we waiting for?!?We have previously reported on studies by the policy-neutral economic modelers, Regional Economic Models, Inc. (REMI), on the potential economic and environmental impacts of revenue-neutral carbon taxes nationally, as well as in California, Massachusetts, and other states. The results have been consistent: increased economic activity and jobs; reduced carbon pollution. Now, REMI is out with a study of Rhode Island, the results of which - more jobs, a stronger economy, and significantly lower carbon pollution - are summarized in the graphic. A few more key points from this study include: There were four scenarios considered, returning carbon tax revenues to the state in different ways, and in ALL four cases, there was an increase over the baseline in "the total number of jobs and [Gross State Product - GSP] in Rhode Island-mostly by reducing the importation of fossil energy and, therefore, keeping dollars local to create jobs and grow businesses in the Ocean State." A key point made by this study is that "a strong economy and environmental quality are not mutually exclusive." To the contrary, these "environmental measures might have positive economic effects," in part due to reduced fossil fuel imports (aka, "economic losses"). In addition to the significant economic benefits Rhode Island would enjoy from implementation of a revenue-neutral carbon tax, the state would also see "20% to 30% [carbon dioxide emission] reductions from the baseline in the 2020s, and up to 30% to 50% reductions in the 2030s and out to 2040 from price and efficiency." Almost every economic sector (construction, health care, finance and insurance, real estate, retail trade, etc.) in Rhode Island would benefit from the carbon tax, with only utilities, manufacturing, transportation and warehousing seeing any signficant adverse impacts.  Overall, however, Rhode Island's economy would benefit significantly, as there are many more sectors seeing a positive impact than a negative one from the carbon tax. We'd just add that these results would almost certainly be applicable to most states in the country, except possibly in the short term for the few states  (e.g., Alaska) where fossil fuels make up a large share of the economy.  Our bet, though, is that even in those states, the long-term benefits of switching to a clean energy economy would far outweigh any adverse impacts from moving away from dirty energy. That is particularly the case given how fast the costs of clean energy have been falling, and are projected to continue falling, while fossil fuel costs will likely remain volatile for the foreseeable future.  Finally, of course, there are the crucial benefits that would result from slashing carbon pollution that is contributing to dangerous, potentially disastrous, global warming.  In sum, most states would benefit from a revenue-neutral carbon tax on purely economic grounds, but adding in the environmental beneifts makes it a huge winner in Rhode Island, and across the country.

The LAST People Who Should Be Criticizing Rolling Stone

So no question, Rolling Stone f***ed up big time in its "reporting" on a supposed gang rape at the University of Virginia. In doing so, they did a great deal of damage. For instance, as Attorney General Mark Herring puts it, "Rolling Stone's failures have put survivors in a more difficult position, shaken a university community, and injected doubt at a moment when we are finally building national momentum around efforts to end campus sexual violence." Rolling Stone also, of course, damaged itself, which is highly unfortunate given that it's done some great, progresssive journalism over the years. Yet after this incident, sorry to say, it's going to be next to impossible to trust anything in that magazine as long as the crew that completely botched the UVA story is still in charge. Time for some heads to roll at Rolling Stone...like, anyone involved in this debacle.Having said all that, I've just got to note that watching the corporate media pile on Rolling Stone, in a holier-than-thou feeding frenzy of sanctimonious, gleeful outrage is just...rich. Take the Washington Post, for instance, which massively failed in its job leading up to the Iraq War.  OK, that was a decade ago, how about today? Well, today we've got a paper which features on their editorial page climate science deniers, torture apologists, and people who haven't been factually or analytically correct in years (decades? ever?). Then there's the Post's "both sides" bull**** "journalism." There's their political "reporting," which in the leadup to the last presidential election, called things wrong over and over and over again. Has there been any accountability for any of this? Has anyone been fired for being utterly incompetent at their jobs? And now they're going to get on their high horses and lecture Rolling Stone?

Is Gov. McAuliffe Really "getting everything he's asking for" from GOP-Controlled Gen. Assembly?

This morning's Washington Post has an article, "McAuliffe suddenly seems chummy with Virginia's GOP lawmakers," which talks about how McAuliffe's "bipartisan tone worries Democrats hoping to woo voters by painting Republicans as antagonistic."In my chats with Democratic legislators, staffers, etc., I've certainly found those "worries" to be the case: concern that McAuliffe's rhetoric could undercut House and Senate Democrats' efforts to motivate their voters to turn out in large numbers this November. Of course, the reality is that McAuliffe, as a governor limited to just one term in office, and with his close friend/political ally Hillary Clinton running for president, has a very different set of interests, motivations, political pressures and incentives, etc. than Virginia House and Senate Democrats do. For starters, there is ZERO chance that in Gov. McAuliffe's remaining two years, nine months in office, that he will have a Democratic majority in both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly. To put it another way, there is a 100% chance that for the remainder of his term in office, Gov. McAuliffe will at LEAST be dealing with a large Republican majority in the House of Delegates, and quite possibly a continued Republican majority in the State Senate. So, McAuliffe may very well see the less-than-ideal choices he faces as: a) try, to whatever extent he can, to work with Republicans and get whatever he can done, even if it means effectively ditching his major priorities (e.g., Medicaid expansion); b) fight Republicans tooth and nail, using those battles to make the case at the polls both in this year's legislative elections and in the 2017 gubernatorial election, but almost guaranteeing a high level of Republican hostility for the rest of his time in office. Given those (bad) choices, it appears for now that McAuliffe has firmly selected "a." And that could be a perfectly reational, albeit not particularly inspirational or motivating, choice. Yet, if you think about the case Virginia House and Senate Democrats have largely made, and probably HAVE to make in 2015 and 2017, it's very different - maybe even diametrically so - from McAuliffe's case. The bottom line for General Assembly Dems trying to win back the Senate and gain seats in the House is simple: they need to make the case to voters why Republican legislative majorities are a really bad thing for Virginia (an argument that has the virtue of being true, by the way) and why Democratic majorities would be a much better thing for Virginia (also true). Yet, simultaneously, the Democratic Governor of Virginia, Terry McAuliffe, is arguing that actually, things are going just swell/hunky dory, with his spokesman Brian Coy even going so far as to claim that McAuliffe is "getting everything he's asking for" from House and Senate Republicans. If that's true, then why should voters make a big change this November? Uhhhhhh. Let's just briefly review whether what Brian Coy claims, that Gov. McAuliffe is "getting everything he's asking for" from House and Senate Republicans, is even remotely true. You can review Gov. McAuliffe's 2015 State of the Commonwealth Address here to get a feel for some of his major proposals. Let's review what McAuliffe asked for and what he actually got from the Republican-controlled General Assembly.

$842,592 and Counting for Indiana's Anti-Gay "Memories Pizza" Owners

This is just disturbing. Instead of donating hundreds of thousands of dollars to god-fearing gay-fearing people who make pizza, how about donating it to a food pantry or other worthy cause, not this idiocy? Sad to say, in America, playing the "victim" - and lots of publicity about being the "victim" in the right-wing media! - apparently pays off with $$$$, big time.

Yet Another Poll Shows Poll Shows Republicans in Minority, Dems in Majority on Key Issues

I've written about this many times before, and will continue to do so as long as I see the media drawing an absurd, demonstrably false "equivalence" between Republicans and/or the Tea Party on the one hand, and Democrats and/or Progressives on the other hand. In fact, polling shows overwhelming that On Issue After Issue, Americans Support the Democratic/Progressive Position. Just name the topic, from guns to global warming, from the minimum wage to immigration policy, from LGBT equality to a woman's right choose, and you'll find the same result: Democrats and mainstream progressives are  in the majority, often the overwhelming majority, while Republicans and right wingers of all stripes are in the minority, often the small minority.Today, we have yet another major poll, this time by the Washington Post and ABC News, demonstrating the same result. This is an incomplete list, but Hillary Clinton will support international engagement and government action to combat climate change; an immigration reform compromise that exchanges more border security for some kind of path to legalization for the 11 million; a deal with Iran curbing its nuclear program (if one is reached); and a continuation of the movement towards universal health care set in motion by the Affordable Care Act(whatever its fate at the Supreme Court).By contrast, by the time the eventual GOP nominee is chosen, he will probably have come out against any global climate treatyand at best hedged on domestic climate action; he will have cast serious doubt on whether he can support a real plan for legalization; he will have promised to undo any Iran nuke deal; and he will have vowed to continue the crusade for Obamacare repeal until he draws his very last breath. [...] The poll finds that on all of those issues, Republican and conservative voters are on one side, while majorities or pluralities of Americans - including independents and moderates - are on the other... For the record:

Sierra Club Names Senator Frank Wagner #1 Obstructionist on Climate Change

From the Virginia Sierra Club: Group Protests outside Wagner FundraiserDemonstrators with the Sierra Club picketed outside an event for Senator Frank Wagner on Thursday at Town Center in Virginia Beach to protest the Senator's opposition to EPA rules to regulate carbon pollution from coal and gas fired electricity power plants. "Senator Wagner is the #1 obstructionist in the Virginia General Assembly to measures to address climate change," said Glen Besa, Director of the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter. "No one wasted more of the legislature's time than Senator Wagner attacking the EPA on behalf of polluters like Dominion and coal companies like Alpha Natural Resources.  When you represent an area as vulnerable to sea level rise as Hampton Roads, that's just irresponsible." Dominion Virginia Power has been one of the largest political contributors to Senator Wagner over the years. Since 2004 he has received $43,100 in campaign contributions from Dominion.  Senator Wagner also received $43,643 in campaign contributions since 2009 from Virginia based Alpha Natural Resources, one of the largest coal companies in the country. "We think all this fossil fuel money may be clouding his judgment,"said Besa, 'and he has forgotten who he represents."

If Jeremy McPike is the Dems' 29th State Senate District Nominee, It Could Spell Defeat In November

The race for the Democratic nomination in the 29th State Senate district to succeed long-time Sen. Chuck Colgan (D) is underway, with three Democrats - Atif Qarni, Michael Futrell and Jeremy McPike - in the running. As I've stated on numerous occasions, I am supporting Atif Qarni for a bunch of reasons, including that I think he'd be the strongest candidate in what's likely to be a tough general election campaign against Republican nominee and Manassas City Mayor Hal Parrish. Note that Sen. Colgan won reelection in 2011 with just 55% of the vote, against a candidate who is far less known than Parrish.The point is that, although the 29th is certainly a winnable district for Democrats (Mark Herring got 59% in the 29th against Mark Obenshain in 2013), it's most definitely not going to be easy. Which is why we need a candidate who doesn't offer Republicans easy, potentially potent, attack angles. For instance, two minutes of using Google for "Jeremy McPike" will find you the following stories: *Jury Awards City Whistleblower in Wrongful Termination Case (Old Town Alexandria Patch; 5/7/13) *The Corruption Scandal You Haven't Read About (Bacon's Rebellion, 8/18/13) *Alexandria whistleblower wins wrongful termination suit (Washington Examiner; 4/11/13) *Alexandria Va: Whistle-Blower asks Virginia Supreme Court to Award More Damages (The Full Court Press; 8/22/14) *Jeremy McPike: Following the Rules Gets You Fired (VA GOP Caucus; 9/5/13) *Government Graft, Corruption, and Retaliation in Democrat-Run Virginia (PJ Media; 4/17/13) *Henry Lewis v. City of Alexandria, Virginia, Complaint (4/2/12) On and on it goes. Note that the point of posting these links isn't because I like linking to right-wingnut sites, like PJ Media, but simply to make it clear that Republicans were well aware of this information in 2013, used it in 2013, and would with 100% certainty pound McPike on it again in 2015 - this time with a lot more money put behind the attacks. In short, 29th State Senate District Democratic "buyer beware": if you vote for Jeremy McPike, you're voting for the almost certain loss of this seat in November. You're also voting, almost certainly, for Democrats NOT to have any chance of taking back the State Senate in November, as holding Chuck Colgan's seat is crucial to Democrats' chances of doing that. Just to review, the main charges Republicans would certainly use against McPike if he's the Democratic nominee include:

Videos: Dem Candidates Announce for 49th, 45th Virginia House of Delegates Districts

From the Arlington County Democratic Committee meeting tonight...first, Del. Alfonso Lopez announces for reelection in the 49th House of Delegates district. Check out the comments section for the 45th House of Delegates districts announcements (Clarence Tong, Julie Jakopic, Mark Levine, Craig Fifer).

lowkell :: Videos: Dem Candidates Announce for 49th, 45th Virginia House of Delegates Districts

NRDC: Clean Energy Best Way Virginia Can Fight Climate Change, Exceed Clean Power Plan Targets

New NRDC Issue Brief: Clean Energy Best Way Virginia Can Fight Dangerous Climate Change and Beat EPA Emissions Targets by 20 Percent LEXINGTON, VA (Wednesday, April 1, 2015) — With climate change already damaging Virginia’s economy, endangering citizens’ health, and threatening coastal cities, a new issue brief shows that if the Old Dominion were to meet its already existing voluntary energy goals, the state would actually beat the carbon emission targets in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan by 20 percent. The brief also shows Virginia has a tremendous economic opportunity in fighting climate change, which could create 5,600 new jobs in 2020 alone by crafting a strong state plan to meet new federal carbon pollution standards that invests in clean energy, expands energy efficiency, and develops a cleaner, 21st century economy. “Virginians can’t wait any longer to combat climate change, which is polluting our air and endangering our health,” said Walton Shepherd, Staff Attorney at NRDC. “We can create a new Virginia economy simply by cutting our carbon pollution. It’s time we create new jobs, protect our children’s health, and curb climate change by increasing energy efficiency and renewable energy.”

3 State Senators from Fairfax Propose Ethics Legislation Aimed at Shady Supervisors Like John Cook

You know it's bad when Sen. Dick "Can't Legislate Ethics" Saslaw thinks your behavior is so unethical that it requires special legislation aimed at cracking down on you. In this case, it's very clear that the three Virginia State Senators -- who as the press release below (from Senators Chap Petersen, Dave Marsden and Dick Saslaw) notes "combined represent the entirety of the Braddock District in Fairfax County" -- are targeting the current Braddock District Supervisor, John Cook (R) and his ethical issues ("as a partner in this firm, John seems to be directly benefiting from some of the public money that is being paid to his firm.  This isn't just on some minor issues either- John's firm is representing the Sheriff's office in the recent taser death at the Fairfax jail"). Now, for Cook's own good, maybe they could also introduce legislation to permanently keep Cook off of Twitter, after his "troll" debacle following Oleszek's campaign kickoff on March 22? Heh.P.S. In all seriousness, I hear that Cook's staff changed his Twitter password after that debacle and won't tell him what it is, because he clearly can't handle himself on social media. LOL Fairfax County Senators Introducing New Fairfax Ethics LegislationBill would allow Fairfax County new authority in creating local ethics laws Today Senator Chap Petersen (Fairfax) announced he will support a bill in the 2016 session giving local governments like Fairfax County the ability to regulate its own ethical issues.  "Fairfax probably has tools to deal with this issue, but by establishing this legislation we will give the County the unquestionable authority it needs to create appropriate rules for its local elected officials.  Based on recent press accounts, it's better to make that clear now."  Senator Petersen said.  "Any such legislation must be and will be consistent with existing state law which presently forbids local governments from terminating employees who participate in politics, whether in the County or a neighboring jurisdiction." Senator Dick Saslaw (Fairfax) and Senator David Marsden (Fairfax) also announced they will be joining Petersen in this legislation. Petersen's bill will clarify any "Dillon Rule" issues, and ensure that Fairfax County has full authority to create appropriate regulations. Fairfax is the largest county in Virginia, with a population of over 1,100,000 residents and each Supervisor represents over 100,000 residents in Fairfax. This and other issues make Fairfax uniquely in need of special legislation.  Fairfax County Supervisors voted to raise their pay last month to $95,000 a year, the highest for any local government in Virginia. Petersen, Saslaw and Marsden all represent Fairfax County, and combined represent the entirety of the Braddock District in Fairfax County.