It was so refreshing to see Jon Huntsman tweet that he trusts the science behind global warming and believes in evolution. I mean, how long has it been since we've had some rationalism from a major Republican figure? Usually bits of honesty like the Huntsman tweet leak out, then the right's noise machine jumps into action, bashing the speaker until he's forced to walk back his statement into oblivion.
Not Huntsman! He's doubling down!
It wasn't always the case that a single Republican could make news by embracing science and rationalism. Just last week I finished a paper on Title IV of the 1990 Clean Air Act. Title IV was the original "cap and trade" bill, designed to put a cap on the amount of sulfur dioxide emissions released into the atmosphere. Rather than establish a command and control style set of regulations, Title IV let polluters employ the most cost effective methods to reduce the amount of SO2 pollution they emitted. And if polluters were successful, they could sell off excess pollution credits to other polluters. Over time, the overall amount of SO2 in the atmosphere would be reduced until acid rain was no longer a problem.
Here's the crazy thing. It worked. Phenomenally well. Not only have we eliminated acid rain as a problem, but the entire program cost much less than anticipated.
And get this. Title IV was pushed by President George HW Bush. 20 years ago, Republicans like Bush actually wanted to be thought of as environmentally friendly. They listened to scientists who told them that Sulfur Dioxide was causing acid rain in the North East. They were met half-way by the west coast Environmental Defense Fund, a group that pushed "market based" solutions to environmental problems. Bush, the White House, EDF and others outmaneuvered the traditional foes of acid rain legislation (coal state Dems like Robert Byrd and Michigan's John Dingell) and passed this largely experimental legislation by huge margins in Congress (400+ in the House, 81+ in the Senate).
Can you picture today's Republican leaders ever embracing a bill like this, let alone the scientific rationale behind the bill?
Maybe Huntsman's declaration marks the turning point and, in a few years, we'll soon return to a more rational, balanced and intelligent GOP, like the party was 20 years ago. One can hope!
Crazy Huntsman
Not Huntsman! He's doubling down!
It wasn't always the case that a single Republican could make news by embracing science and rationalism. Just last week I finished a paper on Title IV of the 1990 Clean Air Act. Title IV was the original "cap and trade" bill, designed to put a cap on the amount of sulfur dioxide emissions released into the atmosphere. Rather than establish a command and control style set of regulations, Title IV let polluters employ the most cost effective methods to reduce the amount of SO2 pollution they emitted. And if polluters were successful, they could sell off excess pollution credits to other polluters. Over time, the overall amount of SO2 in the atmosphere would be reduced until acid rain was no longer a problem.
Here's the crazy thing. It worked. Phenomenally well. Not only have we eliminated acid rain as a problem, but the entire program cost much less than anticipated.
And get this. Title IV was pushed by President George HW Bush. 20 years ago, Republicans like Bush actually wanted to be thought of as environmentally friendly. They listened to scientists who told them that Sulfur Dioxide was causing acid rain in the North East. They were met half-way by the west coast Environmental Defense Fund, a group that pushed "market based" solutions to environmental problems. Bush, the White House, EDF and others outmaneuvered the traditional foes of acid rain legislation (coal state Dems like Robert Byrd and Michigan's John Dingell) and passed this largely experimental legislation by huge margins in Congress (400+ in the House, 81+ in the Senate).
Can you picture today's Republican leaders ever embracing a bill like this, let alone the scientific rationale behind the bill?
Maybe Huntsman's declaration marks the turning point and, in a few years, we'll soon return to a more rational, balanced and intelligent GOP, like the party was 20 years ago. One can hope!