Last week, the California Air Resources Board unanimously adopted what The New York Times described as the “country’s first comprehensive plan for curbing emissions of heat-trapping gases.” In a new Reason.org commentary, Reason Foundation’s Skaidra Smith-Heisters says that instead of passing a costly emissions plan in the midst of a national recession and state budget crisis, California should utilize pay-as-you-drive and pay-as-you-save programs for inexpensive environmental improvements:
Innovative pay-as-you-go approaches can work to cut unnecessary waste and increase efficiency at the same time that they help balance the environmental accounts, making sure we keep a safe margin of natural resources in the bank. Lawmakers working to curb greenhouse gas emissions and those looking to cushion the blow of the recession should focus on measures that cut costs first.
Read the whole thing here.