McGinn warns lawmakers on carbon tax policy

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The Joint Committee on Energy and Environmental Policy sponsored a meeting yesterday morning at Topeka’s Memorial Hall to discuss different carbon tax policies and how they could affect Kansas residents, communities and businesses.

According to the committee’s chair, Sen. Carolyn McGinn, R-Sedgwick, the meeting’s main purpose was to educate legislators on the carbon market.

“I really don’t think any carbon tax policy would work well in Kansas,” McGinn told Kansas Liberty. “Sometimes people will jump on this train because it sounds good but it is important to know it’s a cost to our business industry and a cost to home owners.”

McGinn warned lawmakers that federal carbon-regulation legislation may be passed this year that could trickle down and influence Kansas’ energy strategies.

McGinn said she did not think the Joint Committee on Energy and Environmental Policy would be dealing with carbon policies during this session but that based on the new committee chair appointments in the Democratic Congress it would be important to keep an eye on what’s going on with carbon-related legislation at the federal level.

“The federal government is going to have this discussion and I think it is important for our state legislators to understand the impact it could have on their state so that they can communicate with their federal legislators,” she said.

Dan Chartier, manager of air quality programs at the Edison Electric Institute, discussed federal legislation initiatives, including President-elect Barack Obama’s policy to have an 80 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.