Electricity bills in the Northeast have dropped $460 million dollars since that region put a price on carbon.

Back in 2011, nine Northeastern states established the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative - better known as RGGI. And, the benefits of that regional cap-and-trade system just keep adding up.

Since it was established, that program has added $1.3 billion dollars of economic activity to the region, reduced carbon emissions by 15 percent, and saved customers a ton on their electric bills. Those are the facts according to an independent analysis released last week, and they prove that all the warnings about a carbon tax are nothing but Big Oil's fear mongering.

Critics of the RGGI plan warned that the system would cause a spike in electricity prices for consumers and put a damper on the local economy, but the program has had the opposite effect on both counts. The revenue collected from the program has been used to invest in energy efficiency, renewable energy projects, and bill-payment assistance for consumers.

Those investments have helped stimulate the regional economy, and lower electric bills mean customers have more money to spend locally. And, the program has been so successful that it could be used as a model to help more states comply with the EPA's Clean Power Plan, which is set to be released next month.

One of the authors of the recent analysis report said, "The nine New England states' experience with RGGI can provide other states with valuable lessons for how one might comply with the CO2 regulations included in the Clean Power Plan."

In just four years, the Northeast has developed and implemented a system that boosts their economies, reduces greenhouse gas, and lowers electricity bills for average Americans. That's what you call a win-win, and it's just the type of plan we should be implementing nation-wide.

-Thom

(What do you think? Tell us here.)

Tonight on The Big Picture on RT TV at 7pm and 10pm... Mystery Chicken Now Being Served (check your local listings for stations or stream at RT or Free Speech TV, and catch past shows on Youtube)

 

Be sure to check out our newest video: RESTORATION - narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio & Thom Hartmann, directed by Leila Conners / Visit GreenWorldRising.org to check out all the videos: CARBON, LAST HOURS & GREEN WORLD RISING - narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio & Thom Hartmann, directed by Leila Conners

 

Need to Know: The Lunatics Have Taken Over an Entire Party
- America's Lawyer Mike Papantonio, Ring of Fire Radio   

 

Screwed: Sandra Bland...There Are Still Unanswered Questions
- Ben Norton, Independent Journalist 

 

Plus, Mystery Chicken Now Being Served
- Patty Lovera, Food & Water Watch  

 

Best of the Rest: Look Who's Standing Up To ALEC
- Brendan Fischer, Center for Media and Democracy/ALEC Exposed  
- Lisa Graves, Center for Media and Democracy/ALEC Exposed  

 

Green report: How Fracking Can Make People Sick
- Tyson Slocum, Public Citizen's Energy Program    

 

  

Thursday's Daily Stack 

 

Article: "Questions About the Sandra Bland Case" by Charles M. Blow.

Article: "Three Uppitys and You Are Dead" by Fred Sanders.

Article: "The Vast, Hidden Community Of Racial Hatred In America" by Sacha Feinman.

Article: "Investigation finished in police shooting in Cincinnati traffic stop" by Ralph Ellis, Don Melvin and David Shortell.

Article: "Police Release New Video of Sandra Bland's Arrest" by Meghan Keneally.

Book: "The Crash of 2016: The Plot to Destroy America--and What We Can Do to Stop It" by Thom Hartmann.

Case: "Pennsylvania v. Mimms", 1977.

Article: "Eric Garner's Family: Settlement With New York City 'Is Not a Victory'" by Josh Dawsey.

Article: "Texas officer's attorney: He let his emotions get the better of him" (pool party) by Ashley Fantz, Holly Yan and Catherine E. Shoichet.

Quote: "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely" by 1st Baron Acton.

Article: "Obama is right: gun violence is much worse in the US than other advanced countries" by German Lopez.

Article: "This chart explains why black people fear being killed by the police" by German Lopez.

TV: "The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell 6/30/15: Will Elizabeth Warren campaign for Sanders?" with David Axelrod, David Corn, Kasie Hunt, and Thom Hartmann.

Case: "Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission" (2010).

Speech: "Madison Square Garden Speech", President Franklin D. Roosevelt, October 31, 1936. "They are unanimous in their hate for me-and I welcome their hatred"

Article: "Bernie Sanders: "Powerful interests...hate my guts, and I welcome their hatred"" by Triana.

 

Article: "Obama Kenya trip more than just symbolic" by Karen Allen.

Video: Fox's Bolling Doubles Down On Profiling Muslims: "Call Me Whatever You Want, Islamophobic Or Whatever".

Video: Sean Hannity Champions Donald Trump As A Result Of "Weak And Timid" Republican Party.

Video: Bill O'Reilly Blames "Corrupt" Media For Trying To "Destroy" Trump.

Video: Fox's Bartiromo, Libre's Campos-Duffy Agree: Obama Being "Dangerous" By Acting On Climate.

Video: Fox's Doocy Literally Applauds Rand Paul's Flat Tax Proposal.

Article: "Income inequality in America" by Bill O'Reilly.

Video: Hannity: Nuclear Deal With Iran Is "The Equivalent Of Giving Adolf Hitler Weapons Of Mass Destruction" .

Article: "Quinnipiac poll: Hillary Clinton lagging behind GOP candidates in Colorado" by Jesse Paul.

 

Article: "ACLU launches 'Mobile Justice' smartphone app to empower public to record police encounters" by Maxine Bernstein.

Book: The Woman Behind the New Deal: The Life and Legacy of Frances Perkins, Social Security, Unemployment Insurance by Kirstin Downey.

Book: The Rich And The Rest Of Us: A Poverty Manifesto by Tavis Smiley and Cornel West.

Book: The Other America: Poverty in the United States by Michael Harrington.

Article: "Great Society" by Wikipedia.

 

Talk Radio News Segment:
- Bob Ney 

Site: "Goats for the old Goat".

Site: Governor Free Don Siegelman.

Book: "Sideswiped: Lessons Learned Courtesy of the Hit Men of Capitol Hill" by Robert Ney.

Article: "TRNS News Notes- 7/23" by Victoria Jones.

Article: "TRNS News Notes- 7/22" by Victoria Jones.

Article: "Sen. Bob Corker tells John Kerry: "You've been fleeced" on Iran" by Rebecca Kaplan.

Article: "Senate GOP: Kerry "Naive" To Agree With Iran Deal" by William McDonald.

Article: "White House acknowledges 'side' deals between Iran, IAEA" by Jordan Fabian.

Article: "Radical New DARK Act Assaults Consumer Rights" by Scott Faber.

Article: "House of Representatives Ignores Will of the People in Passage of Anti-labeling DARK Act" by Center for Food Safety.

Article: "'Dementia village' inspires new care" by Ben Tinker.

Video: Conversations w/Great Minds P1 - Dr. Cornel West - Morally corrupt Liberals.

Video: Conversations w/Great Minds P2 - Dr. Cornel West - Is Obama committed to Justice?.

Article: "Lenny Bruce" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Hundreds from NYPD turn backs on Mayor Bill de Blasio at funeral of slain officer Wenjian Liu" by Nicole Fuller and Emily Ngo.

 

Friday on The Thom Hartmann Program, 12-3pm ET 

 

We'll have the latest news and information...everything you need to know to win the water cooler wars...

 

And, the best of the rest of the news along with your calls right here on...

 

The Thom Hartmann Program, Occupying The Media 3 hours a day 5 days a week" for "we the people"

 

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