Hello Congress! US Climate Action Is Firmly with Governors and States
by David Sassoon - Nov 15th, 2007
in
Since the Dems this week in Congress are proving toothless in advancing energy and climate legislation, the sight of their flabby gums is today made tolerable by the leadership that Governors across the country are showing. Three developments in the last 24 hours point yet again to where the climate action in the US has been and continues to be -- with governors and state governments taking concrete action.
As you read on to find out about the latest developments, keep in mind a gnawing question: in this representative democracy of ours, how come Congress is so out of synch with what's happening in the home districts?
A good place to get an overview of state action is from the report released yesterday by Environment America, the newly branded US PIRG environment federation. America's Clean Energy Stars; State Action leading America to a New Energy Future identifies work being done in 21 states to increase energy efficiency and renewable energy, promote clean cars, and improve building codes and appliance standards. Seven states are given "gold stars" for their leadership, 5 states earned "silver stars," and nine are identified as "rising stars." Senator Olympia Snowe of Maine used the report to lean on Washington lawmakers:
The Energy Stars Report illustrates that states across the country are attempting to fill the void of a national energy policy; Congress must heed these successes and pass a strong energy bill that promotes energy efficiency and renewable energy.
Nice thought, Senator, but the governors aren't holding their breath. That's why Governor Jennifer Granholm yesterday signed two executive orders to kick start climate action in Michigan, home of the auto industry and of its champion of obstructionist climate politics, Rep John Dingell. This interplay ought to be interesting to watch as it unfolds.
Granholm established a Climate Action Council, and it's worth taking a look at the few pages of the order to see how she did it. You can skip over the "Whereas" clauses and go right to who is appointed to the Council. The heads of all relevant state agencies (Environment, Agriculture, Labor etc.) plus 27 residents chosen by the governor -- a cross section of stakeholders representing every interest group with a dog in the race.
Then take a look at what they're charged to do: to examine every economic sector (energy, residential, transport, land use, waste, forestry, etc.) for opportunities to mitigate GHG emissions, and come back with a plan by the end of 2008.
Don't think, "so what, it's only one state." This is a state economy which is bigger than the economies of most nations on the earth. And with the executive order, Granholm is joining the cadre of leadership states that have completed or are developing economy-wide climate action plans. Guess what? There are more than 25 of them, which you can view on this map. (Congress take note: that's a majority of the states.)
The opponents of climate action, in particular the denial industry funded by Exxon, are freaking out about all this action. That's why they developed an attack campaign to derail this activity, well-documented here and in my post yesterday about how the Wall Street Journal is blatantly lending its editorial pages to the effort. In an odd way, it's awfully good evidence that state action is the real deal. The big guns are taking aim.
Today, a group of Midwestern governors (and one Canadian premier) gave the Exxon-boomers an even bigger target to shoot at: a regional set of concrete goals designed to solve climate. Take a look at this list of governors from primarily coal-rich and agricultural states who are intent on solving climate:
Chet Culver of Iowa, Jim Doyle of Wisconsin, Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota, Rod Blagojevich of Illinois, Jennifer Granholm of Michigan, Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas and Premier Gary Doer of Manitoba signed the Midwestern Regional Greenhouse Gas Reduction Accord. Ted Strickland of Ohio, M. Michael Rounds of South Dakota, and Mitch Daniels of Indiana signed onto the agreement as observers.
Add this regional grouping to the Western Climate Initiative (WCI) and the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) in the northeast states and you'll see the great pressure developing in the states asking Congress to solve climate, and to do it right.
I just listened in on the press call the governors did, and here's what was striking. They talked about their plans to develop and implement a cap and trade system in the next 12 months, and they were unconcerned about Congress. Governor Pawlenty figured what the Midwestern states did could help shine a light on what works, and show Congress the way through state leadership.
No flabby gums on that rostrum that I could detect over the phone line.
Bookmark/Search this post with:
