Tax bill a good tool to fight environmental harm

I was glad to see in the Sentinel that our Democratic state legislators want to rescind tax hikes imposed on life science companies researching treatments for diseases such as COVID-19. The work of these companies provides tangible, life-saving benefits, and they deserve legislative consideration and support to continue their research.

However, a tax can also be a valuable tool against the environmental harm produced by other industries. The bipartisan Energy Innovation Act (HR 763), co-sponsored by Rep. Anna Eshoo and 85 others, would impose a carbon tax, encourage companies to invest in clean technologies, reduce U.S. emissions by 40% in its first 12 years, and return that revenue to citizens as a rebate.

Climate change is nothing less than a global crisis. Shouldn’t we use every tool at our disposal to fight it?