NYTpg1,lead: 9 NE States in Plan to Cut Emissions by Power Plants

[DeepModem Mom]

9 States in Plan to Cut Emissions by Power Plants
By ANTHONY DePALMA
Published: August 24, 2005


Officials in New York and eight other Northeastern states have come to a preliminary agreement to freeze power plant emissions at their current levels and then reduce them by 10 percent by 2020, according to a confidential draft proposal.

The cooperative action, the first of its kind in the nation, came after the Bush administration decided not to regulate the greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. Once a final agreement is reached, the legislatures of the nine states will have to enact it, which is considered likely.

Enforcement of emission controls could potentially result in higher energy prices in the nine states, which officials hope can be offset by subsidies and support for the development of new technology that would be paid for with the proceeds from the sale of emission allowances to the utility companies.

The regional initiative would set up a market-driven system to control emissions of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, from more than 600 electric generators in the nine states. Environmentalists who support a federal law to control greenhouse gases believe that the model established by the Northeastern states will be followed by other states, resulting in pressure that could eventually lead to the enactment of a national law.

California, Washington and Oregon are in the early stages of exploring a regional agreement similar to the Northeastern plan. The nine states in the Northeastern agreement are Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont. They were brought together in 2003 by a Republican governor, George E. Pataki of New York, who broke sharply and openly with the Bush administration over the handling of greenhouse gases and Washington's refusal to join more than 150 countries in signing the Kyoto Protocols, the agreement to reduce emissions that went into effect earlier this year....


http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/24/nyregion/24air.html

[wakeme2008]

1. Bush will find a way to override this nt

[Moderator]

2. kick

[beetbox]

3. US States Bypass Bush to Tackle Greenhouse Gas Emissions

US states bypass Bush to tackle greenhouse gas emissions

Julian Borger in Washington
Thursday August 25, 2005
The Guardian


America's north-eastern states are on the brink of a declaration of environmental independence with the introduction of mandatory controls on greenhouse gas emissions of the kind rejected by the Bush administration.

In the first regional agreement of its kind in the US, nine states are expected to announce a plan next month to freeze carbon dioxide emissions from big power stations by 2009 and then reduce them by 10% by 2020.

The region stretches from New Jersey to Maine and generates roughly the same volume of emissions as Germany.

<>

She added: "It's huge. It's a drumbeat, and more and more states and regions are heading down this road. It's going to change the discussion at the federal level ... It's going to take the argument off the table we can't do this because it's too expensive, there are too many obstacles."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1555945,00.html

[Mass]

4. Though the numbers are limited, this is huge and the best news

I have heard in days.

[Rex]

5. Independence - they better watch what words they use.

Rove will go crazy over this now that his one act pony is polling in the 30%.

[PatrioticLeftie]

6. This is great

It's refreshing to hear that people are actually standing up for what is right and not letting Bush have his way

[Judi Lynn]

7. Bush has always searched for ways to bypass the law for profit and power

This is so much good news a person can hardly stand it! American states finding a way to do what's needed for GOOD, not evil.

Don't forget, we've already been informed many U.S. mayors have signed the Kyoto treaty for their cities, as well!

U.S. Mayors Abide by Kyoto Treaty Posted: 08.08.05
In an unprecedented move for local officials, over 100 mayors across the country have agreed to abide by the terms of an international environmental treaty that President Bush rejected.

At the U.S. Conference of Mayors in June, 168 mayors from 37 states committed their cities to the Kyoto Protocol, which aims to combat global warming by decreasing the emissions of greenhouse gasses.

The mayors, both Democrats and Republicans, believe that the growing threat of global warming necessitates immediate action. Their decision to meet or beat the conditions of the Kyoto Protocol will require their cities to reduce pollution from cars and power plants to 1990 levels before the year 2012. Since 1990, greenhouse gas emissions have increased by an average of one percent annually.
(snip/...)

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/july-dec05/kyoto_8-08.html

[MalachiConstant]

8. 10 percent over 15 years seems pretty generous to me.

then again, it's better than nothing at this point. but, we can do better than that.