FALMOUTH – Falmouth Selectmen are supporting a new bill that would aim to reduce carbon emissions and expand green infrastructure.
“There is significant alarms about the hability of our planet if we don’t start making progress in that direction,” said Selectmen Sam Patterson.
The bill would impact fossil fuel companies that contribute to greenhouse gas pollution, by taxing the company $20 per ton of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere. The fee also would increase by $5 every year until the tax reaches $40.
The bill could potentially be costly to residents, with gas prices expected to raise 16 cents per gallon.
Out of the money acquired through the tax, 30 percent would be made into a Green Infrastructure Fund. The fund would be used to support investments in clean energy, clean transportation, and resiliency to the local impacts of climate change.
“This is a very difficult challenge for society, to figure how to address the greenhouse effect, and we know what is causing it is the carbon that has been stored in the Earth for a long time,” said Patterson.
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