Foreign Policy Blogs

Big John

“Kind of broad at the shoulders, narrow at the hip.
And everybody knew you didn’t give no lip to
Big John.”*

I’ve written about and referenced House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair, John Dingell, a good number of times here. He’s the second-longest serving Congressman ever, highly respected and often feared. There’s a fascinating piece in the “NY Times” today about him: What Is John Dingell Really Up To? It’s about Big John’s stance on a carbon tax, the alternative to a cap-and-trade system, favored by a growing number of people. If Dingell is serious about advancing a carbon tax, and he appears to be, then that would be a big step. Here’s Dingell’s op-ed from the “Washington Post” from last month: The Power in the Carbon Tax. What do you think? It’s heady stuff, and politically difficult to achieve.

The Carbon Tax Center has “up-to-date information on the why and how of taxing carbon emissions to reduce global warming.” They have good analyses, and media coverage as well, including this “Wall St. Journal” piece from August, A Carbon Tax Would Be Cleaner.

*monster Jimmy Dean hit from the “60’s

 

Author

Bill Hewitt

Bill Hewitt has been an environmental activist and professional for nearly 25 years. He was deeply involved in the battle to curtail acid rain, and was also a Sierra Club leader in New York City. He spent 11 years in public affairs for the NY State Department of Environmental Conservation, and worked on environmental issues for two NYC mayoral campaigns and a presidential campaign. He is a writer and editor and is the principal of Hewitt Communications. He has an M.S. in international affairs, has taught political science at Pace University, and has graduate and continuing education classes on climate change, sustainability, and energy and the environment at The Center for Global Affairs at NYU. His book, "A Newer World - Politics, Money, Technology, and What’s Really Being Done to Solve the Climate Crisis," will be out from the University Press of New England in December.



Areas of Focus:
the policy, politics, science and economics of environmental protection, sustainability, energy and climate change

Contact