States Taking the Initiative to Fight Global Warming

More than two dozen U.S. states and cities, no longer waiting for the Bush administration to seize the initiative against global warming, have begun taking steps to reduce emissions that scientists say are heating the planet.

From Vermont to Oregon, state and local governments are calling for broader use of energy-saving devices, more energy-efficient building standards, cleaner-burning power plants and more investment in such renewable energy sources as wind and solar power--all to help reduce greenhouse gases that trap the sun’s energy near the Earth’s surface.

Many of the strategies being promoted mimic those endorsed in July by 180 nations as part of an international campaign against global warming that the Bush administration declined to join.

In August, six New England states and five eastern Canadian provinces signed a pact to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Under the agreement, the signatories pledged to cut emissions to 1990 levels by 2010 and by 10% below that level by 2020. Those cuts are to be followed by even deeper reductions. It is the most ambitious goal set by state governments and it was supported by three Republican governors, two Democrats and one Independent from Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine.

No single state or region can make a substantial reduction in the gases that contribute to global warming. Moreover, much of the success of state and local efforts relies on voluntary compliance from industry.

Still, advocates of state and local initiatives are confident that there is enough public support to ensure broad cooperation in the private sector.

“Public demand for action on climate change increased when the United States was not a part of the [international] agreement. It had a powerful impact on the thinking of all kinds of people, including governors and heads of large companies,” said Tom Peterson, director of domestic policy for the Center for Clean Air Policy in Washington.

The center was created in 1985 by a bipartisan group of governors to promote economical solutions to air pollution.

“This is a way [for states] to distinguish themselves from the Bush administration,” California Resources Secretary Mary Nichols said. “A lot of practical, moderate people are recognizing climate change is a reality, not a theory, and they need to take it into account and help move the direction of the world by doing something about it.”

California was an early leader in reducing dependence on fossil fuels that release greenhouse gases. Today, 12% of its electrical power comes from renewable sources, more than any other state.

President Bush has sent mixed signals concerning global warming. Shortly after he took office, he reneged on a campaign promise to cut emissions of carbon dioxide, the most abundant greenhouse gas. He said he rejected the international accord, outlined in Kyoto, Japan, in 1997 and ratified last summer, because it would cost U.S. jobs and did not immediately impose limits on emissions from developing countries, including India and China.

Last spring, Bush announced the formation of a task force of Cabinet members to formulate U.S. policy. The work of the task force was slowed by disagreements among its members and by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

In the meantime, several members of Congress, including Sens. James M. Jeffords (I-Vt.), John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Joseph I. Lieberman (D-Conn.), have begun formulating policy. McCain and Lieberman announced in August that they would develop legislation to cap greenhouse emissions and reduce them using a market-based trading mechanism. But that bill, too, has been delayed as Congress grapples with the enormous fallout from the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

Meanwhile, officials of several states say they are making measurable progress.

In New Jersey, officials say they are on track to cut greenhouse gases by 3.5% below 1990 levels by 2005. The plan relies on capturing emissions from methane--which traps 20 times more heat than carbon dioxide--from landfills, securing voluntary reductions from various industries and preserving open space and trees, which can absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, said Amy Collings, spokeswoman for the state Department of Environmental Protection.

New York Gov. George Pataki in June announced a series of measures to improve energy efficiency and trim greenhouse gases. Specifically, the Republican governor ordered state buildings to get 20% of their electricity from renewable sources, such as solar or wind power, by 2010.

In the Northwest, Seattle City Light, the local electric utility, will offset any carbon dioxide emissions from power generation with wider use of clean-fueled vehicles and other measures.

In Oregon, more than 20,000 people have signed up for the “Blue Sky Program” by paying an extra $3 per month on their utility bills to ensure that Pacific Power and Light purchases electricity from sources that don’t contribute to global warming, said Tim Honadel, sustainability coordinator for Gov. John Kitzhaber.

The California Legislature has established a registry to track greenhouse gas production. It gives businesses interested in reducing their emissions a place to record their progress. Such progress will be rewarded when the state, as anticipated, begins to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.

There are growing indications that businesses, large and small, do want to cooperate, if only to ensure that they have a hand in crafting policies and regulations many see as inevitable.

A group of Fortune 500 companies joined with the Philadelphia-based Pew Charitable Trusts to study and develop market-driven solutions to global warming. Among the companies participating in the project are British Petroleum, Boeing Co., Enron, Lockheed Martin Corp., Toyota Motor Corp. and International Energy Corp.

At a carpet mill in Industry, where Interface Inc. employs 500 people, workers are busy producing “climate neutral” carpet for commercial buildings, which is made without generating greenhouse gases. The company recently installed a $1-million solar array at its plant so it can make its product without any adverse impact on the Earth’s atmosphere, said Jim Hartzfeld, vice president of sustainable strategies for the Atlanta-based corporation.

“This is about good business,” Hartzfeld said. “It’s not about philanthropy or altruism. It’s about delivering better value.”