Bay Area regulators mull carbon dioxide fee for businesses

This is worse than useless. A review of the literature shows that a price of $100 to $200 per ton is required to change behavior. This is just a targeted fund raiser, gussied up in green. As such it could have the effect of reinforcing cynicism toward politician's venality.
(disclosure: I am not a cynic, I am jaded*)
From the San Francisco Chronicle:

San Francisco Bay area pollution regulators are proposing to charge fees to businesses based on how much carbon dioxide they release into the air.

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District plans to consider a measure next month that would charge 4.2 cents for every metric ton of carbon dioxide emitted.

The fees would go into effect in July and cover businesses in nine counties.

Agency officials say the estimated annual $1.2 million generated by the program would pay for the monitoring of greenhouse gases.

The top 10 carbon dioxide emitters — including local oil refineries, a power plant and a cement company — would pay about 70 percent of the expected fees.

Agency spokeswoman Karen Schkolnick said most businesses would pay less than $1.

*In honor of Earth Day, here's Green Day's Brain Stew/Jaded.