Thursday, April 21, 2022 | 2 a.m.
If ever there were a time to rebel against the stranglehold petro-dictators like Vladimir Putin have over the world because of our international dependence on fossil fuels, that time is now. As long as we continue to be enslaved by the likes of Putin and other autocrats because their countries are oil-rich, there will never be an end to our addiction as we continue begging for our next “fix” of more oil and gas. They can affect the price of oil whenever they wish.
We know clean-energy alternatives are cheaper than dirty ones and there are steps we can take to move toward a clean-energy economy.
President Joe Biden committed to reducing carbon emissions 50% by 2030, but that goal remains out of reach without definitive action to free ourselves from our oil addiction. Of course it will be gradual, but we can do it. As our buildings and modes of transportation become more electrified, and our electric grids run mostly on renewables, we become gradually free of fossil fuels, and the Putins of the world become dollar-poor and experience economic strangulation.
A bill in the House with 94 cosponsors, including Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., calls for placing an annually escalating fee on carbon emissions where they are produced, and returning those fees to Americans as cash-back rebates. This money would help deal with rising energy costs during the transition to clean energy. Tellmembers of Congress you want legislation that includes a price on carbon emissions with rebates.