Clean our air, protect our climate

The arguments for cleaner air in the Dec. 29 letter “We Need Better Air Quality, Now,” are right on the mark. The incentives, though, are all wrong. U.S. Steel Corp. can pollute because it is profitable to do so. Settlements may put a dent in this behavior, but nothing will really change unless the costs are raised to the point where polluting is no longer profitable.

Unfortunately, these perverse incentives are not limited simply to U.S. Steel. Corporations and other institutions choose to pollute because it makes financial sense to do so. They get the profits, while we — and our children — get dirty air and global warming.

It’s time to fix these market failures. The writer suggests taking to the streets — I agree. The next protest can’t come soon enough. However, protests aren’t enough — we need regulation that accounts for the market’s failure to value clean air and water, and to preserve a livable climate. Effective legislation can help solve this problem. The Energy Innovation and Climate Dividend Act (House Resolution 763) would put an escalating price on polluting fossil fuel emissions, to be offset by dividends paid back to citizens. Increased costs provide firms with an incentive to find ways to emit less, potentially leading to lower levels of pollutants that foul the air and warm the climate.

H.R. 763 has bipartisan support in the House, with over 70 cosponsors. To clean our air and protect our climate, we need Reps. Mike Doyle, D-Forest Hills, and Conor Lamb, D-Mt. Lebanon, to step up and cosponsor this bill. We need both the protest and the policy.