June 3, 2010 05:22
by J. Wylie Donald
"First in the nation" touts one website. Another speaks of the "kickstart ... to a low-carbon future." Montgomery County, Maryland has leaped over the gridlock in Washington and passed a tax of $5 per ton from any stationary source emitting more than a million tons of carbon dioxide per year. One web site quotes the bill's sponsor: "This is a chance for us to lay claim to a revenue stream and clean up after a polluter at a time when we are under financial constraints." (click here)
There is no dissembling here. Two points come through loud and clear: 1) carbon dioxide is being lumped in with PM10, NOx and SOx, mercury and all the other things that might go up a stack; and 2) a new revenue stream has been found and tapped.