Governors
of five Western States today announced a regional plan to reduce global warming
pollution. Under the Western Regional Climate Action Initiative, Oregon, California, Washington, New Mexico and Arizona will adopt pollution-reduction goals
for the five states and a market-based program to meet them, such as a “cap and
trade” program, within 18 months.
Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski
initiated the five-state agreement. Last summer, California Governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger signed a bill that will result in comprehensive global warming
pollution reductions in his state, and Governor Kulongoski appointed a
stakeholder group that developed a cap and trade policy proposal for his state.
Under a cap and trade program, a cap on global warming pollution would be set,
which would decline over time to meet pollution reduction targets. Individual
companies could either reduce their pollution or pay other companies to reduce
their pollution more than required, so that total pollution levels meet the
total cap. Under a regional program, the cap would be set for all five states.
“Western
states are already experiencing the serious effects of global warming, and our
Governors have demonstrated true leadership in developing solutions,” said Environment
California Global Warming Advocate Jason Barbose. “This regional global warming solution will benefit
the environment on a global scale.”
Western
states are particularly threatened by global warming effects such as declining snowpack
levels. Summer water supplies in the West are closely tied to the melting of
winter and spring snowpack, which has occurred earlier and in greater volume in
recent years, leaving lower water levels in the summer. Declining summer water
supplies could have serious consequences for farm irrigation and drinking water
supplies. In addition, the Western states face increased drought and more
severe forest fires.
Each
of the five states announcing today’s agreement has either adopted or committed
to adopt state global warming pollution reduction goals, as well as Clean Cars
programs that require new cars sold in their states to reduce their global
warming pollution. Those programs are the subject of a lawsuit by auto
manufacturers.
“There
is no question that state leadership will be critical to getting real global
warming solutions put in place,” said Environment California federal Environmental Advocate Emily
Figdor. “Thanks in no small part to the states’
leadership, Congress is now beginning to seriously debate global warming
policy.”
The
Western Regional Climate Action Initiative builds on other regional efforts. Oregon’s Governor
Kulongoski was an original founder, with then-California Governor Gray Davis and
then-Washington Governor Gary Locke, of the West Coast Global Warming
Initiative in 2003. Arizona and New Mexico launched the
Southwest Climate Change Initiative in 2006.
