LTC 103-2021 City of Coral Gables Resolution No. 2021-30MIAMI BEACH
OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK
No. 103-2021
LETTER TO COMMISSION
TO: Mayor Dan Gelber and Members of the City C mission
FROM: Rafae l E. Granado, City Clerk
DATE: March 11, 2021
SUBJECT: CITY OF CORAL GABLES RESOLUTION NO. 2021-30
Attached for your information is Resolution No. 2021-30, adopted by the Mayor and Commission
of the City of Coral Gables on February 23, 2021.
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COMMISSION URGING THE UNITED
STATES CONGRESS TO ENACT THE ENERGY INNOVATION AND
CARBON DIVIDEND ACT.
The City of Coral Gables Clerk has requested that a copy of this resolutions be provided to the
Miami Beach Mayor and Commissioners.
If you have any questions, please contact the Office of the City Clerk at 305.673. 7 411.
REG/le
Attachments
F:\CLER\$ALL\LILIA\L TC's -Transmittal's\Coral Gables\Resolution 2021-30 City of Coral Gables.docx
C I T Y O F C O RAL G A B L E S , F L O RI D A
RE S O L U T I O N N O . 2 0 2 1 -3 0
A RESOLUTI ON OF THE CITY COM M ISSION
URGIN G THE UN IT ED STA TES CON GRESS TO
EN A CT THE EN ERGY INN OVATI ON AND CARBON
DIVIDEND ACT
WHEREAS, the City of Coral Gables Sustainability Advisory Board adopted a
resolution in Novem ber of 2020 ur gi ng the City Commission to adopt a Resolution in
support of the Energy Inn ovation and Carbon Dividend Act; and
WHEREAS, on Febru ary 9, 2021 the City Comm ission voted in favor of
adopting such a Resolution; and
WHEREAS, an Intergovernm ental Panel on Clim ate Change issued a special
report on the impacts of global warm ing of 1.5ºC above pre-industrial levels in October
2018 warn ing that global warm ing is likely to reach l.5ºC betw een 2030 an d 2052 if it
continues to increase at the current ra te; and
WHEREAS, the United N ations clim ate science body said in a monumental
clim ate report that we have only un til 2030 to mak e massive and unprecedented changes
to global energy infrastru cture to lim it global warm ing to moderate levels; and
WHEREAS, th e United States governm ent released its Fourth Ann ual Climate
Assessm ent in N ovemb er 2018 reporting that the im pacts of clim ate change are already
being fe lt in comm unities acro ss the country, and that more frequent and intense extreme
weather and clim ate-related events, as well as changes in average clim ate conditions, are
expected to continue to damage infrastru cture, ecosystems, and social system s that
pro vide essential benefit s to comm unities; and
WHEREAS, conserv ative estim ates by the world's clim ate scientists state that, to
achieve clim ate stabilization an d avoid cataclysmic climate change, emissions of
gr eenh ouse gases (GH Gs) m ust be bro ught to 80-95% below 1990 levels by 2050; and
WHEREAS, presently the enviro nm ental, health, and social costs of carbon
emissions are not included in prices paid for fossil fuels, but rather these extern alized
costs are born e directly and indirectly by all Am erican s and global citizens; and
WHEREAS, to begin to correct this m arket fa ilur e, Congr ess can enact the
Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act to assess a national carbon fe e on fossil
fu els based on the am ount of CO; the fu el will emit when burn ed an d allocate the
collected pro ceeds to all U .S. Households in equal per-capita shares in the fo rm of a
monthly dividend; and
Page 1 of3 R esolution N o. 2021-30
W HERE AS, fo r efficient adm ini stration, the fo ssil fu els fee can be applied once,
as far upstream in the economy as pra ctical, or at the port of entry into the United States;
an d
W HERE AS, as stated in the Energy Inn ovation and Carbon Dividend Act, a
national, revenue-neutral carbon fe e starting at a relatively low rate of$15 per ton of CO 2
equivalent em issions and resulting in equal charges per ton of CO2 equivalent emissions
potential in each typ e of fu el or gr eenh ouse gas should be assessed to begin to low er what
are now dan gero usly high CO2 emissions. The yearly increase in carbon fees including
other gr eenh ouse gases, shall be at least $1 O per ton of CO2 equivalent each year, with
the pro vision th at th e ann ual increase will be $15 per ton of CO2 equivalent if statutory
goals are not met; and
WH ERE AS, the Energy Inn ovation and Carbon Dividend Act specifies that, in
order to pro tect low and middle incom e citizens from the economic impact of rising
prices due to th e carbon fe e, equal monthly per-person dividend paym ents shall be made
to all Am erican households ( one-half paym ent per child under 19 years old) each month
from the fo ssil fu el fe es collected. The total value of all monthly dividend paym ents shall
represent 100% of the net carbon fe es collected per month; and
W HERE AS, the Energy Inn ovation an d Carbon Dividend Act encourages
mar ket-driven inn ovation of clean energy techn ologies and market effi ciencies whi ch will
reduce harm fu l pollution and leave a healthier, more stable, and more pro spero us nation
fo r fu tu re genera tions; and
W HERE AS, the Energy Innovation an d Carbon Dividend Act will, after 12
years, lead to a decrease in Am erica's CO2 emissions of 40 percent and preserv e national
employm ent; an d
W HERE AS, border adjustm ents - carb on content-based levies on pro ducts
imported from countri es without com parable carbon pricing, and refu nds to our exporters
of carbon fe es paid - can maintain the com petitiveness of U .S. businesses in global
m arkets; and
W HERE AS, a national carbon fe e can be im plem ented quickly an d effi ciently,
and will respond to the urgency of the clim ate crisis because the federal governm ent
already has in place mechanism s, such as the Intern al Revenue Serv ice, needed to
im plem ent and enfo rce the fe e, and already collects fe es from fo ssil fu el pro duce rs and
im porters; and
W HERE AS, A national revenue-neutral carbon fe e would make the United
States a leader in m itigating clim ate change and in the clean energy techn ologies of the
21st centu ry and would pro vide incentive to other coun tries to enact sim ilar carbon fe es,
Page 2 of 3- Resolut ion N o. 2021-30
re d u c in g g lo b a l C O 2 em is s io n s w ith o u t th e n ee d fo r co m p le x in tern atio n a l ag reem en ts,
a n d
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COMMISSION OF
THE CITY OF CORAL GABLES:
SECTION l. That the foregoing "Whereas" clauses are hereby ratified and
confirmed as being true and correct and are hereby made a specific part of this Resolution
upon adoption hereof.
SECTION 2. That City urges the United States Congress to enact without delay
the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act.
SECTION 3. That the City Clerk is directed to transmit copies of this resolution
to the President and Vice President of the United States, to the Speaker of the House of
Representatives, to the Majority Leader of the Senate, to each U.S. Senator and
Representative from the State of Florida in the Congress of the United States and to
Miami-Dade County, and neighboring municipalities urging that they pass similar
resolutions.
SECTION 4. That this Resolution shall become effective upon the date of its
passage and adoption herein.
PASSED AND ADOPTED THIS TWENTY-THIRD DAY OF FEBRUARY,
A.D., 2021.
(Moved: Lago/ Seconded: Keon)
(Unanimous Voice Vote)
(Agenda Item: E-4)
APPRO O FORM
AND FFICIENCY:
MIRIA SOLE RAMOS
CITY A TORN Y
Page 3 of3- Resolution No. 2021-30