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Insert yourself into the cogs of democracy (letter)

The Vail Daily Nov. 30 article “Less Water, More Fire” wrote that climate change is already impacting Colorado and the Vail Valley. We can expect shorter ski seasons, decreased snowpack and higher fire danger. It is most certainly affecting all of us and it’s easy to feel desperate about what we can (or can’t) do. What I’ve chosen to do is work through our elected leaders to make sure they know climate change is important. We can make a difference, and progress is already underway.

A bipartisan bill just introduced in Congress, the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act, would make a difference without hurting America’s economy or consumers.

This bill will reduce carbon pollution and its impact on climate by assessing a fee to polluters, the revenue from which will then be passed on as a dividend to consumers. This will spur clean energy innovation and level the playing field for less polluting alternatives.



Yes — it’s also easy to feel desperate and cynical about the state of our Congress, but if we participate then we can make sure our voices are heard and try to move our leaders closer to their electorates. I’m working with Citizens Climate Lobby to increase awareness and lobby our representatives to support this bill. You can reach out to Cory Gardner and Michael Bennet, and ask them to introduce a partner bill in the Senate. All it takes is a quick call to their offices to introduce yourself and insert yourself into the cogs of our democracy. We have just exercised our right to vote in the mid-terms, now let’s continue to use our voices to be clear about what we want from our government.

Jeanne Capachin

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