State seeks to cut greenhouse-gas emissions (NM, Bill Richardson)

[jpak]

http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/48101.html

State government could cut greenhouse-gas emissions by purchasing more cars that run on alternative fuel, mandating use of energy-efficient appliances and designing better buildings.

Those were among ideas discussed Friday by advisers to Gov. Bill Richardson. His administration seeks to reduce its greenhouse-gas emissions by 6 percent by 2010 from a baseline level established from 1998 to 2001. Most scientists agree that greenhouse gases contribute to global warming and problems that come with it. The state’s executive branch alone produced roughly 185,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases in 2005. Those emissions came from motor vehicles and the use of natural gas and electricity.

Energy and environmental advisers met at the Capitol to brief several state agency heads on a broad range of proposals that will be finalized in December before the 2007 Legislature convenes.

One idea discussed at length was converting more of state government’s fleet to vehicles that run on ethanol, an alternative fuel made by distilling grain into alcohol.

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