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American Action Forum’s Sam Batkins on a potential push by the White House for a carbon tax.
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But we've already talked a lot about the -- President Obama can't raise enough money through his tax plans to cover all the spend it.
At means he could pursue other ways to increase revenue come again -- carbon tax be among them joining us now is sandbags.
-- American action.
-- so Sam we know the president wants this thing he tried desperately.
Even -- Democrats holding both houses of congress however he couldn't get it -- try to pursue it in his first year of his second term.
Well there's certainly a lot of revenue out there a lot of projections are if carbon is -- when he.
Dollars per tonne of carbon it could generates.
Roughly trillion dollars over the next ten years of course that.
Figure between dollars would increase but.
I think it's pretty tough for Republicans to swallow another trillion dollars in revenue.
From a carbon tax so -- don't think it's very likely.
To get sixty votes in the Senate's or for speaker Boehner from Ohio which is a big.
Coal producing area which could be hit hardest by carbon tax I don't think it's likely that you -- right here is that.
Here's another scenario though there that the president knows how to maneuver and I think the one way he's gonna maneuver.
Is to kind of go against some of his environmental friends at least a little bit we saw one environmentalists on this show just moments ago say.
He was in favor of China moving towards natural gas rather than coal.
The president may sort of swallow his distaste for the fossil fuel part of of natural gas in order to be able attacks at war.
If he says go ahead just.
-- like crazy get as much natural gas is possible but we the government get to keep a lot of that by taxing it more maybe he'll go down that.
Well it would benefit.
Natural gas industry much more than cold is natural gas is about half its carbon intensive.
As coal is but.
In order for conservatives to.
Tolerate a carbon tax they would also have to get revenue neutrality that is they would want that trillion dollars back.
Somehow either through reduced corporate payroll taxes and they would also want to rescind the EPA current regulations on carbon so you wouldn't want.
EPA regulations on carbon and an additional apartment.
Sam this is a little different variation of the carbon -- when I'm suggesting is the president might pull the EPA off of natural gas producers a little bit give them a little room to produce even war.
With a proviso that the government gets to take more in terms of taxes so.
It's -- it's it's a higher tax on carbon but focus specifically on one section of the industry.
Well I mean and that's definitely a possibility but again I don't see for example.
Progressive ceding the ground on and heavy regulation.
For fracking -- the -- -- finalize rules and the Bureau of Land Management which is -- department of interior.
Is also set to finalize rules soon for federal land so I don't see significant regulatory pullback and that's what I think consumers would have to get at minimum.
Sam on the other hand I gotta say with the the president knows how to take advantage of what he sees this as sort of distractions of the Republican Party is -- Whether John Boehner keeps his job as speaker -- a whole lot of questions about whether that the Tea Party is has been decimated by -- whether they.
Rise up against -- the president may try to push some through.
Real fast -- -- effect.
Well it would it's -- -- -- not make things any easier for for speaker Boehner but I think there is.
Incredible.
Skepticism.
Regarding.
A carbon tax and the next go around and -- -- thirteen self.
I think it will -- to drive a wedge in the caucus even further but I don't know that you'll see.
A ton of Republicans jump on board for carbon tax I don't I don't you won't have a lot of Republicans -- -- it but I think -- you'll find the president pushing in that direction.
Maybe focus narrowly on natural gas production thank you -- -- it's good to see you my friend appreciate it except me out -- -- --
