SB 1051A Mitigating fuel costs for certain people under cap-and-trade

This bill implements cap and trade in HB 2020, and puts hard details and numbers behind lowing emissions and mitigate the impacts of climate change.

Personal Choice and Responsibility
Sen. Michael Dembrow, says the proposal is to help drivers. “That’s part of our commitment to at least initially keep the burden as light as possible on lower income individuals.” This redistribution of wealth is the basis of socialism.

Fiscal Responsibility
The concepts housed in Senate Bill 1051A are designed to help settle Oregonians into a carbon-reduction system that’s central to the state’s plans for battling climate change, but which could raise gasoline prices by more than 16 cents a gallon if it takes effect in 2021. HB 2020, cap-and-trade, is expected to generate more than a billion dollars for each budget cycle. But under SB 1051, nearly a quarter of that could instead go to help loggers, farmers and drivers continue operating as usual. The bill’s largest element is a tax credit available to motorists with an income no greater than 250% of the federal poverty level, which is $64,375 for a family of four.

Limited Government
Taken together with HB 2020, projections suggest that the refunds and tax credits would eat meaningfully into revenue the state expects under cap and trade. This is more about control than solving any real problem.