Information on Cap-and-Trade Legislation from CPC

CA-CP's Climate Policy Center Offers Resources
on Cap-and-Trade Legislation

The U.S. House of Representatives passed, on May 26, 2009, a piece of climate legislation designed to reduce global warming pollution: the Waxman-Markey American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES - H.R. 2454). The central mechanism of the 1400-page bill is a cap-and-trade system that aims to cut carbon emissions more than 80 percent by 2050.

The following documents explain the concepts behind the cap-and-trade legislation and answer common questions about carbon offset credits, the auctioning of emissions allowances, and recommendations on what to do with auction revenue.  A letter to U.S. Senators from Clean Air-Cool Planet and the Environmental and Energy Study Institute makes several policy proposals for consideration by the Senate.  Click the links below to open the pdf documents.

Letter to Senators Baucus, Bingaman and Boxer (pdf, 49 KB)

Cap-and-Trade Primer (pdf, 45 KB)

Frequently Asked Questions (pdf, 42 KB)

Cap and Trade Revenues Fact Sheet (pdf, 78 KB)

Supply and Demand of Carbon Offset Credits in the Context
of the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (pdf, 159 KB)

The Benefits of Using a Price Collar (pdf, 75 KB)