Dingell Fizzle

Last month, I remarked that Rep. John Dingell's attempt to undermine progress on global warming with a disingenuous carbon tax proposal was "more likely to fizzle out than spark intra-party warfare."

And it appears to be fizzling. The American Prospect's recent profile on Dingell reports:

...there are signs that Dingell's influence is on the wane...

...he floated a proposal for a carbon tax, not because he seemed to want it pass, but because he wanted to demonstrate that the American people and Congress were unwilling to embrace the costs associated with global warming. But his proposed carbon tax has gotten little traction and stands almost no chance of being included in legislation passed by the House.

With Dingell finding it difficult to protect his state's auto industry CEOs and stifle global warming legislation, we can less time on defense and more time on offense: shaping strong global warming legislation.

While there are no prospects for a sincere carbon tax proposal to enter the congressional debate, there is real progress for a cap-and-trade bill that would similarly put a cost on global warming pollution.

More on that in just a bit...

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