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Climate Policy's Uncertain Outcomes for Households: The Role of Complex Allocation Schemes in Cap-and-Trade

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  • Blonz Joshua

    (Resources for the Future)

  • Burtraw Dallas

    (Resources for the Future)

  • Walls Margaret A

    (Resources for the Future)

Abstract

The design and implementation of the allocation of CO2 emissions allowances in recent bills in the U.S. Congress introduces a new source of uncertainty to the climate policy debate. We examine the Waxman-Markey bill (H.R. 2454) with scenarios that vary outcomes associated with allocations to electricity local distribution companies, investments in energy efficiency and technology development. The average net household burden in 2016 ranges from $133, with a CO2 allowance price of $13.19, to $418, with an allowance price of $23.41. The uncertainty about average burdens does not carry over to the distribution of those burdens; both scenarios impose the greatest burden as a percentage of income on middle-income households. A third scenario that allocates a substantial portion of allowance value as lump-sum payments imposes an average net household burden of $206, with a price of $17.37 and with highly progressive distributional impacts.

Suggested Citation

  • Blonz Joshua & Burtraw Dallas & Walls Margaret A, 2010. "Climate Policy's Uncertain Outcomes for Households: The Role of Complex Allocation Schemes in Cap-and-Trade," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 10(2), pages 1-35, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:bpj:bejeap:v:10:y:2010:i:2:n:5
    DOI: 10.2202/1935-1682.2533
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    2. William A Pizer & Steven Sexton, 2019. "The Distributional Impacts of Energy Taxes," Review of Environmental Economics and Policy, Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 13(1), pages 104-123.
    3. van Ruijven, Bas J. & O’Neill, Brian C. & Chateau, Jean, 2015. "Methods for including income distribution in global CGE models for long-term climate change research," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 530-543.
    4. Joshua Blonz & Dallas Burtraw & Margaret Walls, 2012. "Social safety nets and US climate policy costs," Climate Policy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 12(4), pages 474-490, July.
    5. Levinson Arik M, 2010. "Comment on "Climate Policy's Uncertain Outcomes for Households: The Role of Complex Allocation Schemes in Cap-and-Trade"," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 10(2), pages 1-4, November.
    6. Dale W. Jorgenson & Richard J. Goettle & Mun S. Ho & Peter J. Wilcoxen, 2018. "The Welfare Consequences Of Taxing Carbon," Climate Change Economics (CCE), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 9(01), pages 1-39, February.

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