WASHINGTON – Today the American Energy Alliance (AEA) and a coalition of free-market and conservative organizations sent a letter to White House chief economic advisor Gary Cohn to request a meeting with the Administration on the issue of a carbon tax. The signers of the letter include Thomas Pyle of AEA, Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform, Michael Needham of Heritage Action for America, Myron Ebell of the Competitive Enterprise Institute, and Adam Brandon of FreedomWorks. The following is an excerpt from the letter:
We are reaching out to you following the widely publicized meeting you attended on February 8 with members of the “Climate Leadership Council” to discuss their ideas regarding the establishment of a nationwide carbon tax.
Our organizations have significant concerns regarding any prospective carbon tax proposal. Such a policy would place undue economic burdens on American families and businesses by intentionally increasing the cost of the energy they rely on every day. A carbon tax would also be regressive – doing the most harm to our nation’s economically disadvantaged – and would destroy American jobs, particularly in the manufacturing sector.
We are heartened by the fact that President Trump flatly rejected the notion of a carbon tax during his 2016 candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination. We are equally heartened that streamlining our nation’s vastly overgrown and economically destructive regulatory system remains one of the President’s top priorities. This Administration is already taking steps to eliminate harmful regulations such as the so-called “Clean Power Plan,” because doing so will be good for American workers, families, and businesses. Adding a new tax on energy in return would represent an extremely costly step in the wrong direction – one that those workers, families, and businesses cannot afford.
We respectfully request a meeting with you to further discuss our concerns regarding a carbon tax and to provide additional information that may be helpful in your assessment of the issue. Each of our organizations has a unique perspective to offer; together, we represent a nationwide coalition of activists, concerned citizens, and stakeholders who have a vested interest in ensuring the formulation of sound energy and tax policy that will best support, serve, and strengthen our great nation.
Click here to view the full letter.
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