I am scratching my head over comments made recently in the the 19th District congressional campaign about solutions to the greatest challenge (and opportunity) of our generation and for our state: the need to quickly transition to a clean energy economy to grow jobs and save us and future generations from the escalating costs and damages of climate change.

I am a member of a local chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby, a non-partisan group organized to protect us all from these costs. Scientists and economists tell us that, if not addressed now, the costs to our communities and to our health will skyrocket and land in the laps of our grandchildren. And the U.S. and New York State will lose out in the global race to be leader in the new clean energy economy.

Ms. Teachout’s proposal, Carbon Fee and Dividend (CF&D), is increasingly regarded as a sensible, effective, market-driven, consumer-friendly solution and is supported by many conservatives. I am seeing attacks on this program in our local papers with scary numbers that apply to an entirely different program, a plan from 2009 that did not return revenues to all U.S. households, which CF&D would do. CF&D will protect the majority of us from increased energy costs.

I would love for Mr. Faso to take a closer look at CF&D, and join other conservatives who want to be on the right side of history, like economist George Shultz, who served under four Republican presidents and Exxon Mobil Corporation.

He will see that under this program, real disposable income for an average family of four in our region would rise an average $2,477 annually in 10 years and $4,002 in 20 years. This incorporates increases in energy prices and even gasoline prices at the pump.

The website citizensclimatelobby.org provides more information.

Iona Lutey
Hillsdale, NY