A Republican-led coalition of fossil fuel giants, environmental advocates, and former federal policymakers on Thursday issued a "Roadmap" to addressing climate change that, while labeled as "Bipartisan," is particularly aimed at garnering GOP support.
An economic who's-who from Goldman Sachs, General Motors, Exxon Mobil, AT&T, and Unilever to former Federal Reserve Chairs Ben Bernanke and Janet Yellen signed onto the effort from the Climate Leadership Council, which would seek to halve U.S. carbon dioxide emissions by 2035, chiefly by charging businesses for the greenhouse gas emissions that they produce.
The proposal calls for giving the proceeds of the carbon fee back to American taxpayers, which would amount to an annual payment of $2,000 to a family of four, the Roadmap said. In turn, it would seek to reduce regulations on carbon emissions that it says would become comparatively less efficient and effective.
"Today's release of the Bipartisan Climate Roadmap is the latest example of growing business leadership on climate policy and of ever-louder calls from many corporate sector leaders for an economy-wide price on carbon." Climate Leadership Council chairman and CEO Ted Halstead said in a statement.
The announcement is arguably most notable for the broad swath of companies, thought leaders, and nonprofit organizations — including a trio of prominent environmental groups — that endorsed it. Executives, including those at the top of fossil fuel companies, have long called for instituting a price on heat-trapping carbon emissions, an idea that has gained particular favor among Republicans while also attracting backing from prominent Democratic climate activists like former Vice President Al Gore.
The roadmap's lead authors, former Secretaries of State James Baker and George Schultz, who both served Republican presidents, shopped the proposal to the Trump administration in 2017. It departs from the climate proposals offered by congressional Republicans: House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, for example, on Wednesday announced a three-part approach that calls for greater recycling, planting trees, and investing in clean energy and carbon-capture technologies.
The Roadmap included a poll from Morning Consult, finding broad support for government steps to address climate change, including 2-to-1 support among Republicans for "charging fossil fuel companies for their carbon emissions" and giving the proceeds back to taxpayers.
It follows an uptick in climate announcements from major corporations, from pledges by JetBlue and BP to go carbon-neutral by mid-century, to BlackRock's announcement that it will begin incorporating climate change into its investment decisions, to Microsoft's ambitious effort to effectively remove all of the emissions it's generated since its founding in a garage in the 1970s.
"It's well past time for the U.S. Congress to stop dithering on climate action and get down to business," Andrew Steer, CEO of the World Resources Institute, a research and advocacy group, said in a statement. "This Roadmap provides a solid foundation for Members of Congress looking to develop ambitious, bipartisan climate legislation and provides a win-win for America's economy and climate."
A big-screen adaptation of the anime “Chainsaw Man” has topped the North American box office, beating a Springsteen biopic and “Black Phone 2.” The movie earned $17.25 million in the U.S. and Canada this weekend. “Black Phone 2” fell to second place with $13 million. Two new releases, the rom-com “Regretting You” and “Springsteen — Deliver Me From Nowhere,” earned $12.85 million and $9.1 million, respectively. “Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc” is based on the manga series about a demon hunter. It's another win for Sony-owned Crunchyroll, which also released a “Demon Slayer” film last month that debuted to a record $70 million.
The Federal Aviation Administration says flights departing for Los Angeles International Airport were halted briefly due to a staffing shortage at a Southern California air traffic facility. The FAA issued a temporary ground stop at one of the world’s busiest airports on Sunday morning soon after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted that travelers would see more flights delayed as the nation’s air traffic controllers work without pay during the federal government shutdown. The hold on planes taking off for LAX lasted an hour and 45 minutes and didn't appear to cause continued problems. The FAA said staffing shortages also delayed planes headed to Washington, Chicago and Newark, New Jersey on Sunday.
Boeing workers at three Midwest plants where military aircraft and weapons are developed have voted to reject the company’s latest contract offer and to continue a strike that started almost three months ago. The strike by about 3,200 machinists at the plants in the Missouri cities of St. Louis and St. Charles, and in Mascoutah, Illinois, is smaller in scale than a walkout last year by 33,000 Boeing workers who assemble commercial jetliners. The president of the International Association of Machinists says Sunday's outcome shows Boeing hasn't adequately addressed wages and retirement benefits. Boeing says Sunday's vote was close with 51% of union members opposing the revised offer.
The stunning indictment that led to the arrest of more than 30 people — including Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and other NBA figures — has drawn new scrutiny of the booming business of sports betting in the U.S. The multibillion-dollar industry has made it easy for sports fans — and even some players — to wager on everything from the outcome of games to that of a single play with just a few taps of a cellphone. But regulating the rapidly-growing industry has proven to be a challenge. Professional sports leagues’ own role in promoting gambling has also raised eyebrows.
Tesla, the car company run by Elon Musk, reported Wednesday that it sold more vehicles in the past three months after boycotts hit hard earlier this year, but profits still fell sharply. Third-quarter earnings fell to $1.4 billion, from $2.2 billion a year earlier. Excluding charges, per share profit of 50 cents came in below analysts' estimate. Tesla shares fell 3.5% in after-hours trading. Musk said the company's robotaxi service, which is available in Austin, Texas, and San Francisco, will roll out to as many as 10 other metro areas by the end of the year.
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