Events

Pricing Carbon Pollution: A Presentation on a National Carbon Fee and Dividend Study

Scott Nystrom, economist, Regional Economic Models
This lecture is free and open to the public

Regional Economic Models (REMI) and Synapse Energy Economics recently examined the impacts of a national tax on the carbon-dioxide content of fossil fuels. While there have been other studies, including one from the Congressional Budget Office, REMI's approach differs by examining the impacts of returning all revenue to all households, and assuming a border adjustment will protect American manufacturing. It is also a more inclusive study using 160 industry types and nine regions. This study is especially relevant now that Rhode Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse has introduced a carbon-pricing bill that includes providing dividends directly to individuals and families as one of the eligible options for fees collected from fossil fuels.

Scott Nystrom is a senior economic associate at REMI, Washington, DC. His major projects have included economic impact analyses of the federal “fiscal cliff” and sequestration, the TransCanada Keystone XL pipeline, the $500 billion long-range transportation plan of the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), the potential Medicaid expansion in North Carolina, and carbon tax studies in Massachusetts, Washington, and California.

REMI provides economic impact studies for governmental and private-sector clients including the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC), consulting firms Booz Allen Hamilton and Ernst & Young, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).