TRUCK FIRE – Firefighters knock down a fire in a Ford Explorer truck in Arrowhead Trailer Park in the 1200 block of Sawmill Creek Road Saturday evening. One person received fire-related injuries and was taken to the hospital, Sitka Fire Department Chief Craig Warren said, and the truck was considered a total loss. The cause of the fire is under investigation, Warren said. The fire hall received the call about the fire at 5:33 p.m., and one fire engine with eight firefighters and an ambulance were dispatched, he said. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)
By YERETH ROSEN
Alaska Beacon
The federal government owes Alaska more than $700 billion in comp [ ... ]
By CLAIRE STREMPLE
Alaska Beacon
Sylvester Byrd Jr. served nearly three decades in prison for a [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff
Competing Sunday in a City League volleyball match, a short-handed Yellow Je [ ... ]
Heritage, Cultural
Tourism Event
Here this Week
The ninth annual Heritage and Cultural Tourism Conferen [ ... ]
Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
March 15
At 4:30 a.m. a fender bender invol [ ... ]
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
Rep. Rebecca Himschoot and School Board President Tri [ ... ]
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
With $20 million needed to complete the Katlian Bay r [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
A historically high herring return is forecast for Sit [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
After a year-long vacancy in the Sitka Superior Court [ ... ]
By JAMES BROOKS
Alaska Beacon
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy, following through on an ultimatum, vet [ ... ]
By YERETH ROSEN
Alaska Beacon
For many of the women considered to be at high risk for breast ca [ ... ]
Climate Connection -- Cruise Tourism Choices
Citizen groups in many port cities have mobilized to pre [ ... ]
Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
March 14
An Austin Street resident said a c [ ... ]
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
The Sitka Homeless Coalition and St. Michael’s Sist [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
Sitka’s annual Heritage and Cultural Tourism Confere [ ... ]
By CLAIRE STREMPLE
Alaska Beacon
Language matters, the House agreed on Wednesday, when it advan [ ... ]
By JAMES BROOKS
Alaska Beacon
A new state revenue forecast that includes modestly higher oil pr [ ... ]
Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
March 13
Vehicles left parked at Sealing Co [ ... ]
SFS, Coliseum
To Show 15 Shorts
The Sitka Film Society and Coliseum Theater will present the Oscar Sho [ ... ]
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
Sitka Tribe of Alaska told the Assembly Tuesday that [ ... ]
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
Among proposals presented to the Assembly Tuesday for [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
The public is invited to a discussion Thursday on the [ ... ]
By BRYDEN SWEENEY-TAYLOR
Outer Coast executive director
In 1986, two linguists, Ron and Suzie Scollon, [ ... ]
Vigil on Saturday
At Roundabout
Community members are invited to attend the weekly Voices for Peace vi [ ... ]
Daily Sitka Sentinel
September 17, 2021, Community Happenings
David R. Rice, 53,
Dies in Hospital
In Anchorage
David Russell Rice, a Sitka resident, died late Wednesday night at Providence Hospital in Anchorage. He was 53.
Climate Connection: Reconciliation Bill Opportunity
One goal of the proposed $3.5 trillion Build Back Better Bill (also known as the Budget Reconciliation Bill) is to fund climate programs to halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, a goal established by the United Nation’s International Panel on Climate Change. Even if the Reconciliation Bill and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill were to pass, the U.S. seems unlikely to reach this goal. Climate Interactive’s simulation modeling program “En-ROADS” makes it clear that more action is needed than what was initially proposed. To this end, the Senate Finance Committee, composed of 14 Democrats and 14 Republicans, leaked on Sept. 10 that it was now considering a price on carbon. The fee would start at $15/metric ton of carbon dioxide, increase annually, have a border carbon adjustment that would level the international playing field for imported and exported goods, and most importantly distribute a fee rebate or dividend to households to protect lower income Americans from higher prices.
A fee on carbon levied on fossil fuel corporations bringing their products to market is an efficient way to begin accounting for the costs of climate warming resulting from the combustion of these fuels. These costs accrue from severe weather damage, sea level rise, collapsing fisheries, and health effects from air pollution and heat illness, to name but a few. At present, we all pay for these costs resulting from the accumulation of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. A price on carbon can quickly lower fossil fuel combustion as business and industry seek to lower their costs by investing in renewable energy and other ways to avoid the external costs of emissions that would be increasingly accounted for in the price of fossil fuels.
Unlike regulatory approaches to emissions, this fee and dividend method of “pricing carbon” would be quick to implement and apply economy-wide. Also, a carbon fee would be more effective at reducing emissions and slowing global warming than other market-based approaches such as “cap and trade” or “carbon offsets” – approaches that are hard to enforce and may not directly reduce emissions.
The fees collected will provide a household rebate or “carbon cash back” dividend stimulating local economies. For low-income families, the rebate will exceed their increased costs resulting from businesses passing the fee to consumers. Additionally, by implementing a border carbon adjustment, there will be less incentive for American businesses to move to less climate-ambitious countries; and it protects them from border tariffs such as the European Union plans to implement on U.S. imports in 2023. Globally, all countries relying on trade will have an incentive to institute carbon prices that will lower their reliance on fossil fuels.
Today, air pollution contributes to as many as 1 in 10 American deaths and sickens many. The decreasing fossil fuel emissions will save millions of American lives over the next 50 years. Retooling our economy toward renewable energy sources will create millions of jobs nationwide while improving our planet’s health and mitigating the disastrous results of extreme weather events.
Our opportunity for climate action this month is to email President Biden to urge him to support a carbon price in the Reconciliation Bill so that we can meet his climate goal of halving our greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and achieving net zero emissions by 2050. A quick way to register your support for a carbon price to meet our climate emergency is to email him using the page available at cclusa.org/white-house.
––––––––––
Kent Barkhau and Kay Kreiss are of Sitka Citizens Climate Lobby
Women’s Pistol
League to Start
The Women’s Pistol League is starting Sunday, Sept. 19, and will run for 10 weeks.
Those who missed the signups Wednesday can still register on either Sept. 19 or 26. Shooting starts at 6 p.m. Those who need to register should arrived by 5 p.m. Those with questions can contact Steve at 738-7267 or ramp@gci.net.
Emblem Club
Meeting on Tap
The Sitka Emblem Club will hold its fall social meeting 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 23, at the Elks Lodge.
Quilters to Meet
Ocean Wave Quilters will meet 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 5, at United Methodist Church and via Zoom. Masks are required for those attending in person.
Monthly meetings, September through June, are open to all, members or not. Those wishing to pay the $25 dues receive a monthly newsletter, discounts on classes and other benefits.
For more information call President Sarah Jordan at 738-7272.
Legion to Meet
The American Legion will hold a meeting 7 p.m. Sept. 23 at the Legion Hall. All Legionnaires are being encouraged to attend.
Login Form
20 YEARS AGO
March 2004
Businesses using the Centennial Hall parking lot testified Tuesday against a proposal to charge them rent in addition to the $200 annual permit fee. City Administrator Hugh Bevan made the proposal in response to the Assembly’s direction to Centennial Hall manager Don Kluting to try to close the $340,000 gap between building revenues and operational costs.
50 YEARS AGO
March 1974
Alaska Native Brotherhood Grand President William S. Paul Sr. will be special guest and speaker at the local ANB, Alaska Native Sisterhood Founders Day program Monday at the ANB Hall.