June 16, 2019 Outdoor Descends on Washington

Three of the largest US outdoor industry trade groups meet with politicians to advocate Carbon Pricing as our best bet at fighting climate change.

On March 22, the newly formed Outdoor Business Climate Partnership (OBCP) joined 75 businesses to advocate for carbon pricing in Washington, D.C. The mass fly-in of CEOs and industry leaders was part of the Lawmaker Education and Advocacy Day (LEAD) on Carbon Pricing, an event organized by the nonprofit Ceres.

The OBCP, founded in January, is comprised of the three largest outdoor industry trade groups: the Outdoor Industry Association (OIA), National Ski Areas Association (NSAA), and Snowsports Industries America (SIA). While all three have spoken out on climate, this was the first time any of them have backed a solution as specific as carbon pricing, which exists in many other countries.

Canada taxes fossil fuels nationwide, and the European Union has a cap-and-trade program that lets businesses buy and trade carbon credits to ensure they collectively remain under a federally instituted emissions ceiling. Cap-and-trade exists in a few U.S. states, but a federal carbon tax has been politically unpopular.

Thus, the LEAD on Carbon Pricing involved 80 meetings with lawmakers of both parties. Afterward, several legislators, including conservative Mitt Romney, publicly stated that they are considering carbon pricing. “Climate is an issue the outdoor industry can’t ignore, and carbon pricing is likely the straightest path to emissions reduction,” SIA Communications Director Chris Steinkamp tells Suston. “Lawmakers did what we wanted: They listened.”

Photo: Louis Velazquez/Unsplash