A surprise twist
In a surprise twist to the impeachment trial of President Trump, North Carolina's two senators cast their votes in opposite directions (“N. Carolina’s U.S. senators split on vote to convict,” Feb. 14). Some have suggested that Sen. Burr's decision to retire at the end of his term in 2022 has freed him to break away from the Republican Party when his conscience leads him to do so. His vote to convict Donald Trump may be just such a case. In light of this development, we might all wonder what else could be forthcoming from the senator in the next two years.
For instance, will Burr find it within himself to support a common-sense, market-based solution to our climate crisis? It seem possible that both he and Sen. Thom Tillis might come to the conclusion that a carbon tax with a 100% rebate to American families is the fairest and most effective way to get our economy moving while spurring the innovation we need to make real progress on reducing emissions. A refundable carbon tax works so well because people still have money to spend on whatever they want, but have a strong incentive to spend it on things that pollute less.
To read more on this topic, check out the excellent and interesting research conducted by Columbia University's Dr. Noah Kaufman: https://www.energypolicy.columbia.edu/our-work/topics/carbon-tax-research-initiative
Matthew Mayers
