Congress needs to work towards a market based solution to mitigate climate impacts of CO2

The Honorable Sean Duffy
U.S. House of Representatives
1208 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

Responding to climate change impacts in Northern Wisconsin

Dear Congressman Duffy:

As business and community leaders in Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District, we call upon you to make a prudent response to the threat that climate change poses to our economy and our way of life here in Northern Wisconsin.

We urge you, as our representative in Congress, to join others in Congress in working toward a constructive, market-based solution to the climate crisis.

The Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts, a statewide collaborative of scientists, resource managers, and other public and private stakeholders, projects an increase of 4 to 9 degrees Fahrenheit in our state’s annual average temperature by mid-century under a business-as-usual scenario.

Potential impacts here in Northern Wisconsin include—
 Shorter winters, higher temperatures and more invasive species, insects, tree diseases and wildfires… dramatically reducing such species as aspen, white birch and red pine [Note: Wisconsin’s forest industry currently provides over 64,000 jobs and has an output of $24.7 billion annually.]

 Warmer winters, less snowfall, and the resulting shallower snowpack…leading to a major decline in winter recreation and tourism in Northern Wisconsin; [Note: Tourism brought $19.3 billion to the state’s economy in 2015.]

 The warming of Wisconsin’s waters… leading to the decline or elimination of prized game fish such as northern pike, walleye, brook trout, and brown trout. [Note: This will substantially reduce the number of anglers vacationing in Northern Wisconsin.]

 Uncertain water levels, higher water temperatures, and more severe weather on the Great Lakes…adversely affecting coastal communities and property owners, lake-dependent businesses, and recreational lake users;

 More storms, bigger storms and longer lasting storms…increasing damage to Wisconsin homes, businesses, bridges, and other public and private property.
You have economically sensible, politically viable, market-based options to reduce the worst effects of climate change on all Wisconsinites . . . but especially those living in poverty. Please work with others in the Republican Party to turn put those options into practice.

Respectfully submitted by the following Northern Wisconsin leaders:
(signature authorizations on file)

Name (Please print!):

______________________________________________________________________

Title/Organization:

______________________________________________________________________

Signature:

______________________________________________________________________

Email/Phone Number