A recently released report from the Political Economy Research Institute at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst has found nationwide benefit in the bipartisan clean energy and job growth bill, the Carbon Limits and Energy for America's Renewal (CLEAR Act), introduced by Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Susan Collins (R-ME). According to the report, through the distribution of 75 percent of revenue generated from carbon shares, the income of low and middle income families in America would be protected against energy price increases. The remaining 25 percent of revenue would be allocated toward clean energy research and development, leading to the creation of a predicted 360,000 jobs. The report also shows that every single state would see benefits.
In December, a bipartisan climate policy bill was quietly introduced in the U.S. Senate. Senators Maria Cantwell, a Democrat from Washington state, and Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine, introduced S. 2877, the Carbon Limits and Energy for America's Renewal (CLEAR) Act. The CLEAR bill has attracted increasing attention, including the lead editorial in today's Washington Post and a great commentary piece by Minnesota's own David Morris in the January 29 edition of the Star Tribune.