Trempeauleau County Resolution
Resolution Number: 2021-05-05
Resolution Urging Congress to Support a National Policy on Climate Change Based on a Carbon Fee & Dividend
WHEREAS increases in global average temperatures, the number and intensity of extreme weather events, sea level rise, and the melting of glacial and Arctic ice, indicate that the global climate is changing; and
WHEREAS studies by the Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts project that if climate change continues unchecked, Trempealeau County, located in the driftless region, will experience increasingly warmer temperatures, especially during the winter months, and increasing amounts of precipitation and extreme rain events; and
WHEREAS Trempealeau County has experienced extreme rain events in the past five years, which have caused extensive damage to its roads, bridges, culverts, wastewater treatment facilities and other critical infrastructure; and
WHEREAS such changes in climate may also have adverse effects on Trempealeau County’s forests and timber industry by decreasing suitable habitat for such commercially important species as white and red oak, increasing the risk of wildfires, and increasing stress from forest pests, diseases, and non-native species; and
WHEREAS such changes in climate may also have adverse impacts on Trempealeau County agriculture by increasing erosion from extreme rain events, hampering access to fields at critical times, and causing alterations in late-winter freeze/thaw cycles; and
WHEREAS Agriculture and Forestry can contribute to addressing climate change through sustainable land-use practices that sequester Carbon in the soil; and
WHEREAS such changes in climate may also have adverse impacts on Trempealeau County’s winter tourism economy by decreasing the duration of winter snow cover and rendering winter conditions less predictable; and
WHEREAS the mission of Trempealeau County as stated in the Comprehensive Plan is “to act as stewards of the fiscal and physical resources of the county … to improve our quality of life and the environment in which we live”; and that the County will “Provide safe, clean, natural environment areas where the public can enjoy …; and provides that the County will “Balance economic viability of commercial and industrial uses with the environmental and social well-being of citizens”; and
WHEREAS recent reports by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the US government indicate that to avoid the worst potential impacts of climate change, urgent action is needed to reduce carbon emissions; and
WHEREAS in order to reduce carbon emissions most effectively and efficiently, leading economists (including four past chairs of the Federal Reserve Board, 27 Nobel Laureates, and 15 past chairs of the Council of Economic Advisors) recommend a gradually increasing carbon tax on fossil fuels, with the proceeds thereof returned to American households as dividends, and with a border adjustment system to protect the competitiveness of American firms both nationally and internationally; and
WHEREAS bills based on a carbon fee & dividend, such as the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act which meets all of those criteria and has bipartisan support, have been introduced in Congress; and
WHEREAS competent studies have projected that if such legislation is enacted, it will result in a substantial reduction in carbon emissions as well as increases in GDP and employment; and that the dividends received by most low and moderate-income households will be more than enough to offset price increases due to the carbon fee; and
WHEREAS the Growing Climate Solutions Act is a bill with bipartisan support that provides incentives for farmers and foresters to adopt sustainable land-use practices that will also help reduce greenhouse gas emissions;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Trempealeau County Board of Supervisors urges the United States Congress to pass legislation based on the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act and the Growing Climate Solutions Act without delay; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Trempealeau County Board of Supervisors urges that a Carbon Fee & Dividend bill passed by Congress must include protections for farmers from rising fossil fuel costs, specifically on-farm fuel and fertilizer use, to safeguard a major economic segment of our rural economy, and the security and international competitiveness of our nation’s food supply; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Trempealeau County Clerk is directed to send copies of this resolution to Senator Ron Johnson, Senator Tammy Baldwin, Representative Ron Kind, Governor Tony Evers, State Senators Kathy Bernier and Jeff Smith, and State Representatives Treig Pronschinske and Jesse James.
Introduced by: Environment and Land Use Committee
Committee Approval Date: April 7, 2021
Committee Vote: 7 – 0 – 1 Abstain
Resolution Drafted by: John Skoug, Citizen and Ben Anderson, County Conservationist
Reviewed by Corporation Counsel: No
Fiscal Impact: None
Resolution Urging Congress to Support a National Policy on Climate Change Based on a Carbon Fee & Dividend
WHEREAS increases in global average temperatures, the number and intensity of extreme weather events, sea level rise, and the melting of glacial and Arctic ice, indicate that the global climate is changing; and
WHEREAS studies by the Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts project that if climate change continues unchecked, Trempealeau County, located in the driftless region, will experience increasingly warmer temperatures, especially during the winter months, and increasing amounts of precipitation and extreme rain events; and
WHEREAS Trempealeau County has experienced extreme rain events in the past five years, which have caused extensive damage to its roads, bridges, culverts, wastewater treatment facilities and other critical infrastructure; and
WHEREAS such changes in climate may also have adverse effects on Trempealeau County’s forests and timber industry by decreasing suitable habitat for such commercially important species as white and red oak, increasing the risk of wildfires, and increasing stress from forest pests, diseases, and non-native species; and
WHEREAS such changes in climate may also have adverse impacts on Trempealeau County agriculture by increasing erosion from extreme rain events, hampering access to fields at critical times, and causing alterations in late-winter freeze/thaw cycles; and
WHEREAS Agriculture and Forestry can contribute to addressing climate change through sustainable land-use practices that sequester Carbon in the soil; and
WHEREAS such changes in climate may also have adverse impacts on Trempealeau County’s winter tourism economy by decreasing the duration of winter snow cover and rendering winter conditions less predictable; and
WHEREAS the mission of Trempealeau County as stated in the Comprehensive Plan is “to act as stewards of the fiscal and physical resources of the county … to improve our quality of life and the environment in which we live”; and that the County will “Provide safe, clean, natural environment areas where the public can enjoy …; and provides that the County will “Balance economic viability of commercial and industrial uses with the environmental and social well-being of citizens”; and
WHEREAS recent reports by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the US government indicate that to avoid the worst potential impacts of climate change, urgent action is needed to reduce carbon emissions; and
WHEREAS in order to reduce carbon emissions most effectively and efficiently, leading economists (including four past chairs of the Federal Reserve Board, 27 Nobel Laureates, and 15 past chairs of the Council of Economic Advisors) recommend a gradually increasing carbon tax on fossil fuels, with the proceeds thereof returned to American households as dividends, and with a border adjustment system to protect the competitiveness of American firms both nationally and internationally; and
WHEREAS bills based on a carbon fee & dividend, such as the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act which meets all of those criteria and has bipartisan support, have been introduced in Congress; and
WHEREAS competent studies have projected that if such legislation is enacted, it will result in a substantial reduction in carbon emissions as well as increases in GDP and employment; and that the dividends received by most low and moderate-income households will be more than enough to offset price increases due to the carbon fee; and
WHEREAS the Growing Climate Solutions Act is a bill with bipartisan support that provides incentives for farmers and foresters to adopt sustainable land-use practices that will also help reduce greenhouse gas emissions;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Trempealeau County Board of Supervisors urges the United States Congress to pass legislation based on the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act and the Growing Climate Solutions Act without delay; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Trempealeau County Board of Supervisors urges that a Carbon Fee & Dividend bill passed by Congress must include protections for farmers from rising fossil fuel costs, specifically on-farm fuel and fertilizer use, to safeguard a major economic segment of our rural economy, and the security and international competitiveness of our nation’s food supply; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Trempealeau County Clerk is directed to send copies of this resolution to Senator Ron Johnson, Senator Tammy Baldwin, Representative Ron Kind, Governor Tony Evers, State Senators Kathy Bernier and Jeff Smith, and State Representatives Treig Pronschinske and Jesse James.
Introduced by: Environment and Land Use Committee
Committee Approval Date: April 7, 2021
Committee Vote: 7 – 0 – 1 Abstain
Resolution Drafted by: John Skoug, Citizen and Ben Anderson, County Conservationist
Reviewed by Corporation Counsel: No
Fiscal Impact: None