Who should pay the bill to remedy global warming?
Duke Energy Corp. chief executive Jim Rogers has proposed a national use tax on every kilowatt of electricity sold across the nation. It would pay for a massive federal clean-energy research project, such as burning coal more cleanly and inventing a better light bulb.
Most scientists believe carbon dioxide from burning coal is a main culprit in global warming.
Rogers has likened his idea to the Manhattan Project -- the urgent race to produce the atomic bomb and end World War II. Or the national fervor behind putting a man on the moon after the Russians launched Sputnik.
The CEO has suggested a tax of 0.3 cent per kilowatt -- more than $36 a year in the Carolinas on the average annual bill and more in other states where electricity is more expensive. That would raise about $11 billion a year.
"It's one of those catch-22s. If I pay for it now, then there's the potential that I won't have to pay more later. I think we're at a state when everything's changing. I think the society we live in now is going to be different than this in 10 years."
Kathryn Meyer, a 32-year-old senior account executive with a Charlotte special events and party-equipment rental company
"You'd think that Duke would allocate the money. Our power bill is already $135 a month. That's enough. Electricity is very difficult to come by and difficult to produce. But if they're going to manufacture it, then it should be their responsibility to find cheaper and cleaner alternatives."
Chad Hastey, a 35-year-old bicycle shop employee in Charlotte
"I think that it's everyone's responsibility. Everyone should be able to contribute; it affects us all. I don't think that 50 cents a month is too much to ask. Companies should pay more because they use the bulk of it. But everybody can help a little. It won't hurt me to put my two cents in."
Katherine Duke, a 42-year-old clerk in Charlotte
"I think that it's a complicated question. I think that whoever is using more is going to pay more. But I don't think it's necessarily a corporate responsibility. I'd prefer that to having a tax on fuel. I have five diesel engines in my business."
Tom Eskew, a 43-year-old Charlotte native and arborist who now lives in Durango, Colo. He founded Charlotte's Heartwood Tree Service.
