LAT: State (California) Looks to Lead Pollution Fight

[DeepModem Mom]

State Looks to Lead Pollution Fight
Breaking with the Bush administration, officials from California propose new fees on greenhouse gas emitters and call for use of alternative fuels.

By Miguel Bustillo, Times Staff Writer


MONTREAL — As diplomats from 189 nations meet here this week to discuss the world's response to global warming, California is unveiling a new set of initiatives to control greenhouse gases that would put it in the forefront of a burgeoning campaign by state and local officials to begin regulating the root causes of climate change.

California's action plan — which includes proposals to cap greenhouse gases and force industries to report emissions of carbon dioxide — sharply contradicts the official position of the Bush administration, which has dispatched a delegation to Montreal to reiterate its message that the United States opposes all mandatory limits on heat-trapping gases because, the administration says, such limits would hamstring the economy.

"We can't control what the national government is doing, but we can control what California is doing," said Alan Lloyd, the state's environmental protection secretary, who is leading a California delegation in Montreal. "We are big enough to effect change, and we are still looked upon as a leader on these issues due to our decades of work on air pollution."

Indeed, the United Nations' Montreal conference on climate change — the largest gathering of its kind since most of the world's nations adopted the Kyoto Protocol to reduce greenhouse gases in 1997 — is attracting state and local officials eager to share the message that some parts of the U.S. have begun to address global warming.

Among the state officials scheduled to attend the Montreal talks are Vermont Gov. James H. Douglas, Connecticut's top environmental official, Gina McCarthy, and Los Angeles Deputy Mayor Nancy Sutley. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, who has pledged to reduce his state's emissions, plans to address the conference by videophone....


http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-warming6dec06,0,7714844.story?coll=la-home-local

[bemildred]

1. An indicator of continued erosion of federal goverment legitimacy. nt

[goclark]

2. Finally! nt

[padia]

3. Just another reason to get rid of Arnie

if the red tide(20 years ago wasn't that our fear also) is not stopped in CA we could be in trouble whether it be greens splitting dem seats in congress because people are fed up with DINO's or having arnold have 4 more years to push W's agenda. We will be in trouble if repukes maintain the lions share with 48%. Plus has any body thought of a holding pond that is big enough to hold the water from the non-snow that would be equivalent to about 2-3 feet deep from the Sierra's to the plains of Colorado & alaska to New Mexico

[cally]

4. He hasn't been that bad on environmental issues

I can't stand Arnie but he hasn't done as badly on the environment as I expected. I'll do everything I can to defeat him but I'm thrilled California still leads in environmental initiatives. For decades, California has had stricter environmental controls. Many of our initiatives then are adopted by other states and the nation. Our lead is critical to push the nation forward.

[padia]

6. he seems to get environmental

issues but he is a repug who pushes the party line so that can't be good.

[Megahurtz]

5. Well they better get those Chemtrail Jets out of here first. n/t