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Reduce greenhouse gasses

Just two weeks after heavy rains and strong winds from Hurricane Zeta caused flooding and power outages in Forsyth County, another storm brought heavy rains which caused widespread flooding. The recent flooding delayed opening of Tanglewood’s festival of lights which has a real negative economic impact. No entry fees will be collected. People who may have stopped at a local restaurant or shop before or after visiting Tanglewood won’t be doing that. The income is lost forever, just like the income lost for businesses who were without power after Hurricane Zeta.

This is the new normal thanks to climate change. With climate change, storms are more powerful and more numerous. It’s not going to get better unless Congress takes meaningful action to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions which cause climate change.

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is not only good for the environment, it will be good for the economy. Before the pandemic, North Carolina had more than 110,000 clean energy jobs and nationwide more than 3.3 million people were employed in the clean energy sector which is more than triple the employment in the fossil fuel sector. Clean energy jobs will explode when we get serious about reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act (H.R. 763) will harness the power of the market to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. If you would like to see meaningful, market-based solutions for climate change, please ask Senators Burr and Tillis to support H.R. 763.

— Bill Blancato
Winston-Salem