To the editor:
The Economic and Climate Resilience Act of 2019 has been making its way through the state legislature this year with favorable hearing in both the senate and the house.  This bill puts a fee on carbon and other greenhouse gases from fossil fuels and does more than any legislation to date to put a dent Rhode Island’s contribution to climate change.
 As significant as its impact is on improving our environment, its economic benefits to the entire state are more robust and immediate.
 
Everyone knows that if you raise the price on something people will buy less of it. This bill raises the price on carbon from fossil fuels and Rhode Islanders will use less. Because we don’t make a single molecule of fossil fuel, every penny we spend for it leaves to state. And Rhode Islanders spend a lot of money on fossil fuels - $3 billion annually. To put that in perspective, $3 billion is 40 38 Studios that we literally burn through every single year. So even a small dent 1 percent, $30 million (projected saving after just one year) or 10 percent $300 million (projected saving after five years) is a really big number that stays in the state and enriches us all.
 
Quite frankly, this legislation is a no-brainer for any state that doesn’t produce fossil fuels. It basically puts a tariff on an imported resource that discourages its domestic use and encourages domestic energy production that is both environmentally and economically beneficial to the state.
 
If you would like to see a healthier business climate for Rhode Island I would suggest you contact your state representative and ask their support for house bill H-5869 and your state senator and ask for their support for S-0662.

Geoffrey Berg
Circuit Drive
Warren