LWV-BMC Civic Conversations Talks to the Indiana Citizens Climate Lobby

In February 2023, Civic Conversations Podcast welcomed Marcia Veldman, the Indiana State Co-Coordinator for the Citizen’s Climate Lobby. In the podcast, Marcia shares the origin story of Citizen’s Climate Lobby, an organization with 450 US chapters and 150 international chapters. The Citizen’s Climate Lobby strongly advocates the carbon tax dividend. Because they don’t believe those dumping pollution into our environment should be able to do this for free, the carbon tax dividend, Veldman explained, are fees collected for the cost of burning fossil fuel, and the dividends are the fees collected and returned to Americans to spend as they see fit. When asked if Congress could create an effective carbon tax, Veldman said they should pursue it, but politically, they would not. In a recent conversation with Senator Todd Young, Veldman indicated that Young said a carbon tax would be necessary but politically not feasible. One resource that the Citizen Climate Lobby in Indiana depends on is the Purdue University Climate Change Research Center. Veldman said that they were an excellent resource for specific Indiana climate change information and that they work closely with them. Veldman is seeing some changes this last year, especially the Inflation Reduction Act, the most significant climate change legislation to pass in recent years. She applauded Bloomington’s effort to address climate change but says it will be hard to address if state and national politicians don’t help.