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OBSERVATIONS
December 5, 2019 |
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A spectacular view of the "Brogden Bottomlands" --- from the annual report of the Triangle Land Conservancy, which purchased the 1,120-acre tract between the Neuse River and Grabtown Road east of Smithfield in October. "Featuring bald cypress trees, rare oxbow lakes, and a unique brown water swamp, the property protects prime farmland," reads the TLC report. "It is also a refuge for wildlife, serves as a reservoir for stormwater, and acts as a carbon sink, absorbing more carbon than it releases." The photo was provided by Rupert Hester.
 Wingate Lassiter |
Global warming too important
to be
brushed off by local officials
I was disappointed the County Commissioners didn't bother to ask any questions when a regional representative of the Citizens Climate Lobby made a scheduled appearance before them Monday morning to discuss a proposed federal tax on carbon emissions.
His appearance was a followup to a request made to commissioners last month by the Johnston County Chapter of the public-interest organization to endorse a resolution supporting the proposed Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act.
Introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives last January but not advanced since then, H.B. 763 would impose a fee on the carbon content of crude oil, natural gas, coal, and any other fuel that, upon burning, emit "greenhouse gases" into the atmosphere and thereby contribute to global warming. (Exemptions include fuels used for agricultural purposes and fuels used by the Armed Forces.)
The fees would be deposited into a Carbon Dividend Trust Fund, out of which "dividend payments" would be made to U.S. households. The idea behind that is to offset increases in fuel costs to consumers resulting from the carbon tax.
Another intriguing feature of the proposed legislation would be a suspension of regulations presently in place that limit greenhouse-gas emissions. Those suspensions would expire if reduced-emission targets established by the legislation are not reached after a specified period of time.
It's a "market-driven" approach to curbing pollution, so say its advocates.
OK, I understand why our County Commissioners are reluctant to get involved in a federal issue like climate change. For one thing, it has taken on a partisan tinge in the current national political arena --- a sad state of affairs that tends to sweep this and other critical challenges facing our nation under the proverbial rug.
But global warming is staring us in the face nonetheless, and the more we can engage the public in how to address it, the better chance we have to deal with it intelligently rather than succumb to raw political emotion.
Will you share your Christmas memories?
I'm
inviting our readers to send me a paragraph or two about
your favorite Christmas memory associated with Smithfield,
our home town. And if you have a
related photograph you're willing to share (digitized, of
course), please send that, too.I'll publish the offerings on a special page in our Christmas edition two weeks from now --- on Thursday, December 19. That means I need to get them no later than Tuesday, December 17.
If you're not sure about what to provide, send me an e-mail and we'll figure something out: editor@smithfieldweeklysun.com
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