15.A.
City Council Meeting - FINAL
- Meeting Date:
- 02/02/2016
- From:
- Tamara Lawless, Sustainability Specialist
Information
TITLE:
Consideration and Adoption of Resolution No.2016-03: A Resolution of the City of Flagstaff Urging the United States Congress to Pass Carbon Fee and Dividend Legislation.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
1) Read Resolution No. 2016-03 by title only
2) City Clerk reads Resolution No. 2016-03 by title only (if approved above)
3) Adopt Resolution No. 2016-03.
2) City Clerk reads Resolution No. 2016-03 by title only (if approved above)
3) Adopt Resolution No. 2016-03.
Executive Summary:
The Flagstaff chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby is requesting that the Flagstaff City Council pass Resolution 2016-03. This Resolution urges the United States Congress to pass legislation that will establish a revenue-neutral fee on carbon emissions. Proceeds from the proposed fee would then be returned to American households as a dividend.
Financial Impact:
Regional Economic Modeling, Inc. (REMI), an independent consulting firm, performed an economic analysis of the proposed legislation. The attached table shows their projected dividend per Flagstaff household, assuming a 2-adult, 2-child household. Population estimates from the most recent US Census were utilized to calculate the monthly and annual totals for Flagstaff as a whole. Their projections show a $34.22 average monthly dividend per Flagstaff household during the first year of the fee, and a $242.40 average monthly dividend by the twelfth year of the fee. Please review the attached Economic Analysis of Carbon Fee Resolution to view the full projected dividend amounts per Flagstaff household for each year of the initiative.
Connection to Council Goal and/or Regional Plan:
COUNCIL GOALS:
10) Decrease the number of working poor
REGIONAL PLAN:
Policy E&C.2.1. Encourage the reduction of all energy consumption, especially fossil-fuel generated energy, in public, commercial, industrial, and residential sectors.
Policy E&C.2.2. Promote investments that strengthen climate resiliency.
Policy E.1.10. Incentivize energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies in construction projects.
Policy E.2.1. Promote renewable energy sources that reduce demand upon fossil fuels and other forms of generation that produce waste.
Policy E.2.5. Pursue, promote, and support utility-scale renewable energy production such as biomass facilities, solar electricity, wind power, waste-to-energy, and other alternative energy technologies.
Has There Been Previous Council Decision on This:
No.
Options and Alternatives:
Elect not to adopt.
Background/History:
PROPOSED FEDERAL LEGISLATION:
Citizens’ Climate Lobby requests that the United States Congress enact legislation which will levy an annually increasing fee on carbon dioxide emissions produced by fossil fuels at the point of production and importation (mine, well, or port), and return all of the revenue from this fee to Americans on an equitable basis. The legislation would also incorporate suitable carbon-content-based fees/rebates for imports and exports to nations that have not taken a similar action.
RATIONALE BEHIND LEGISLATIVE ACTION:
The City of Flagstaff’s mission is to protect and enhance the quality of life for its citizens. The voter approved Flagstaff Regional Plan 2030 asserts that environmental health is inherent to individual and community health and prudent, fact-based stewardship of the economy and the environment is a critical responsibility in order to ensure that the resources of the City and its natural environment are available for future generations.
There have been marked increases in extreme weather events impacting northern Arizona including drought, wildfires, wind, and flooding, which are expected to further worsen. If left unaddressed, the consequences of a changing climate, including severe weather events, have the potential to adversely impact all Flagstaff residents, threatening productivity in key economic sectors such as construction, ranching, and tourism, saddling future generations with costly economic and environmental burdens, and imposing additional costs on City and County budgets that will further add to fiscal challenges. The urgently needed transition from fossil fuels can be accomplished effectively with a market-based program, namely a revenue-neutral carbon fee and dividend. The Citizens’ Climate Lobby believes it is the responsibility and duty of the City Council to advocate for state and national policies that will protect all Flagstaff residents from events that could negatively impact their health, welfare, and safety.
Other cities in our region that have passed resolutions calling on Congress to enact carbon fee-and-dividend include Salt Lake City, Santa Fe, Las Cruces, and Carbondale.
Citizens’ Climate Lobby requests that the United States Congress enact legislation which will levy an annually increasing fee on carbon dioxide emissions produced by fossil fuels at the point of production and importation (mine, well, or port), and return all of the revenue from this fee to Americans on an equitable basis. The legislation would also incorporate suitable carbon-content-based fees/rebates for imports and exports to nations that have not taken a similar action.
RATIONALE BEHIND LEGISLATIVE ACTION:
The City of Flagstaff’s mission is to protect and enhance the quality of life for its citizens. The voter approved Flagstaff Regional Plan 2030 asserts that environmental health is inherent to individual and community health and prudent, fact-based stewardship of the economy and the environment is a critical responsibility in order to ensure that the resources of the City and its natural environment are available for future generations.
There have been marked increases in extreme weather events impacting northern Arizona including drought, wildfires, wind, and flooding, which are expected to further worsen. If left unaddressed, the consequences of a changing climate, including severe weather events, have the potential to adversely impact all Flagstaff residents, threatening productivity in key economic sectors such as construction, ranching, and tourism, saddling future generations with costly economic and environmental burdens, and imposing additional costs on City and County budgets that will further add to fiscal challenges. The urgently needed transition from fossil fuels can be accomplished effectively with a market-based program, namely a revenue-neutral carbon fee and dividend. The Citizens’ Climate Lobby believes it is the responsibility and duty of the City Council to advocate for state and national policies that will protect all Flagstaff residents from events that could negatively impact their health, welfare, and safety.
Other cities in our region that have passed resolutions calling on Congress to enact carbon fee-and-dividend include Salt Lake City, Santa Fe, Las Cruces, and Carbondale.
Community Involvement:
The Flagstaff Chapter of Citizen's Climate Lobby has been speaking with a number of community groups about this proposed resolution.