In a message dated 10/6/2000 9:15:07 AM Central Daylight Time,
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
<< there is much work being done on what is called bio-
diesel, made from soybeans, I think. Would that be a fossil fuel? >>
No, soy-based fuels are considered a renewable resource... not a fossil fuel.
No carbon tax applied to renewable fuels, only to traditional fossil fuels
like coal, oils/diesels and natural gas that took eons to fix/concentrate the
carbon-- only to be released (via combustion) to the atmosphere in huge
quantities over a relative period of decades, creating the imbalance we now
experience. Primary fossil-based fuels used to generate electricity would
also be taxed... which could result in nuclear-based electricity gaining a
tax advantage over other carbon-based alternatives. However renewable-based
sources of electricity would enjoy a tax incentive (i.e. biomass, wind). The
important point with a carbon tax is that it would be revenue-neutral in that
total taxes collected would remain constant... it would allow a shift from
income, property and sales tax dependency, while improving
public/environmental health.
M. Hohmann
13th Ward
