To The Reader’s Forum:

My Catholic faith compels me to work to protect this planet and the people who are already suffering due to climate change. One important step our country can take is to enact a carbon fee and dividend policy which would place a steadily increasing fee on fossil fuels. This would incentivize energy efficiency and development of clean alternative energy sources. The fees collected from fossil fuel companies would be distributed to US households.

I am pleased that this policy has finally been introduced as legislation in the House and Senate. The bipartisan Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act of 2019 (EICDA) has drawn applause from the U.S. Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, which said, “If enacted, this proposal is expected to result in significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. At a time when the dangerous effects of climate change are becoming increasingly apparent, the need for legislative solutions like this is more urgent than ever.”

I beseech my fellow Catholic Rep. Tom Reed to support this bill now. Passage of this legislation will be a major step toward protecting the Earth, our common home, and all our sisters and brothers who share this planet with us.

Mary Borowski-Burns

Bemus Point