Chile is set to pass South America's first tax on CO2 emissions, but Washington's top diplomat in Santiago says US businesses should have a say.
The new legislation would:
- Charge thermal power plants with a capacity of more than 50 megawatts $5 for every ton of carbon dioxide they emit.
- Charge polluters that emit sulfur oxides (SOx), used in gas processing, coal combustion, ore refining, and chemical manufacturing; atmospheric particulate matter (PM), or aerosols; and NOx (nitrous oxide, basically what’s in car fumes) based on the risk of respiratory illness posed to local communities. Details about how to gauge and collect all this are still in the planning stage and the actual price of these types of pollution remains a mystery, says Ricardo Katz, environmental researcher with the Chilean nonprofit Center for Public Studies.
- Consumers who purchase new diesel vehicles will also have to pay 2-3 million Chilean pesos (about $3,500-$5,300) extra per automobile.
