Climate change CLEAR unreality: We're all Alaskans now!

Yesterday, Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced a well titled bill, the Carbon Limits and Energy for America's Renewal (CLEAR) Act. It's meant to provide a clear and simple alternative approach to the complex Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act (aka Kerry-Boxer) that has a lot of -- but possibly not enough -- votes in the Senate.

The bill is short (39 pages, compared to Kerry-Boxer's 900 or so). People on both the left and right are excited about it because it creates a cap and dividend, rather than a market-based cap and trade system. The dividend would be paid to each American family, and is estimated to be $1,100/year.

But is CLEAR effective; that is, will it reduce carbon emissions, and does it have a chance of passing? Answers below the fold.

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http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/12/12/813466/-Climate-Change-CLEAR-Unreality:-Were-all-Alaskans-now!