Chellie Pingree, Maine’s Representative in House District 1, announced that she is cosponsoring the bipartisan Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act, HR 763. A longtime advocate for addressing climate change, Pingree is making this issue a high priority of her work this Congress.

HR 763 is a groundbreaking bipartisan climate solution that proposes to price carbon, return the revenue to households, and thereby bring greenhouse gas emissions down 90 percent by 2050.

Led by Florida Democrat Rep. Ted Deutch and Florida Republican Rep. Francis Rooney, and cosponsored by 14 other members of Congress, the bill will create over two million new jobs, lower health care costs, and promote energy innovation.

“This bill is the first, best step for fighting climate change,” said Dodie Jones, co-leader of the Bath/Brunswick chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby. “It will lower carbon dioxide emissions quickly and in the most cost effective way. Consumers will be able to make smart decisions when they face prices that reflect the true costs of burning fossil fuels.”

The impacts of climate change are already being felt in Maine. Air pollution and tick-borne diseases threaten the health of our citizens. Rising sea levels are undermining coastal roads and properties, and eroding beaches and marshes. Ocean warming and acidification is decimating fisheries.  Severe weather swings are impacting farming forestry, fishing, and tourism — the pillars of Maine’s economy.

With Congress divided between a Republican-controlled Senate and a Democratic-controlled House, enacting any climate change solution requires a bipartisan approach.

“The bipartisan Energy Innovation Act is a critical first step to contain the effects of climate change and preserve a livable world for our children and grandchildren,” said Jill Standish, co-leader of the Bath/Brunswick chapter.

This policy puts a fee on fossil fuels: coal, oil, and gas. It starts low, at $15 per ton of carbon dioxide emissions, and grows $10 per ton each year. The money collected from the carbon fee is returned to American households monthly on an equal basis. The dividend will protect lower and middle income families from price increases due to the fee.