Launch event drew more than 300

Wellesley – Climate XChange, which is leading a campaign to enact pioneering carbon pricing legislation in Massachusetts in order to fight climate change, announced a unique raffle of a built-to-order Tesla, with taxes paid, an electrician to install a charger, and delivery straight to the winner’s home.

The total value of this package is more than $147,000, but the chances to win cost only $250. No more than 2,000 tickets will be sold, and the drawing will be held on New Year’s Eve.

More than 300 people gathered at the home of Alan and Jessica Langerman in Wellesley on September 26 to raise funds for the carbon pricing campaign and to celebrate the launch of the raffle, which is designed to raise awareness of carbon pricing. Senator Mike Barrett (D-Lexington), who is sponsoring the legislation, told the crowd the legislation would make Massachusetts a national leader in fighting climate change, while Climate XChange President Jessica Langerman urged them to contact their legislators and advocate passage of the bill.

Very often, people who win cars in raffles have to sell the car in order to pay the taxes. Not in this case. The “No Pain” Grand Prize total package includes:

Additional prizes include:

2nd Prize: 2 A2B Ferber Electric Bikes ($5,000 value)

3rd Prize: Outdoor Care Kit ($2,000 value)

4th Prize: iRobot Scrubber and Mopper ($1,000 value)

5th Prize: iRobot Vacuum Cleaner ($1,000 value)

6th Prize: The Tesla Model S Experience ($1,000 value)

Alternate cash prizes

More information is available at http://climate-xchange.org/tesla-raffle/.

Note: Climate XChange is not affiliated with or sponsored by Tesla Motors, Inc.

ClimateXChange is a group of professionals, business people and citizen activists who were frustrated by the lack of progress in the fight against climate change, and came together in 2013 to work for a comprehensive policy solution.

Carbon pricing – in the form of a carbon fee and rebate – is that solution, incorporated in Senate Bill 1747, “An Act Combatting Climate Change,” which is sponsored by Senator Mike Barrett and co-sponsored by 20 percent of the legislature. It would charge a fee on the more than $20 billion in fossil fuels Massachusetts imports every year – based on their carbon content – put the revenues in a separate, dedicated fund, and then rebate the revenues to households, businesses, nonprofits and municipalities. The less fossil fuel people and businesses used, the more of their rebates they would save.

This policy, which already is working in places such as British Columbia, would reduce the current price subsidy for fossil fuels, enable renewable sources such as wind and solar to compete on a more level playing field, and encourage people and businesses to be more efficient in their energy use. Returning the revenues would assure that people and businesses would be protected against increased costs – especially low- and moderate-income households – and would have new opportunities to shift to more efficient and less expensive uses of energy.

An economic study prepared by the highly-respected, Amherst-based Regional Economic Models Inc. (REMI) showed that such a policy in Massachusetts would be good for both the environment and the economy. It would reduce greenhouse gas emissions while also increasing the number of jobs, expanding the economy, and protecting low-income households.

A subsequent study by the state’s Department of Energy Resources, on which the current legislation is based, found the same positive results, as did similar studies in six other states and a national study conducted by REMI.

Web site: www.climate-xchange.org

Tesla raffle site: www.climate-xchange.org./tesla-raffle

@ClimateXChngeMA