[Davis Democrats] How the west will be won or lost on global warming-Western Climate Initiative

[John Chendo]

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From: Union of Concerned Scientists Action Network <action at ucsusa.org>
Reply-To: <notice-reply-8k35un8rl7ekbjde at ga-mail.ucsaction.org>
Date: Fri, 25 Jul 2008 22:58:25 GMT
To: John Chendo <jac07 at dcn.org>
Subject: How the west will be won or lost on global warming

  


 
Urge Your Governor to Keep the Western Climate Initiative Strong

Dear John,

Can we cut pollution and grow our economy? Several western states‹including
California‹and some Canadian provinces are banking on it. Working together
in the Western Climate Initiative (WCI), these partners are building a new
regional program to reduce the pollution that causes global warming.
California officials are designing the state¹s own climate protection plan
to complement this new regional effort. If they get both plans right,
California can expect cleaner air, more green-collar jobs, and more reliable
electricity as we shift to renewable energy and clean transportation.

But there are risks if the WCI gets it wrong. Please urge Governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger to ensure that polluters are held accountable!

Sincerely,

Erin Rogers
California Outreach Coordinator
Union of Concerned Scientists

 <http://ucsaction.org/campaign/7_24_08_WCI_offset/8k35un8rl7ekbjde?>

Subject: Limit offsets for WCI

Dear Governor,

I'm writing to thank you for your leadership in our state's participation in
the Western Climate Initiative. If the WCI produces a strong plan to cut the
pollution that causes global warming, we would benefit from cleaner air,
more green-collar jobs, and more stable and reliable electricity as we shift
to renewable sources of energy and cleaner transportation choices.

The WCI includes a cap-and-trade program‹a market-based system to reduce the
pollution that causes global warming. I want to make sure that the final
plan is as strong as possible and minimizes the use of offsets‹which allow
polluters to avoid reducing their own pollution by paying someone else to
cut pollution elsewhere. Current WCI recommendations allow global warming
polluters to use offsets to outsource a majority‹in some cases 100
percent‹of the emission reductions they otherwise would have been obligated
to make under the regional cap-and-trade system. This is unacceptable.

Please ensure that offsets are carefully limited to no more than a small
fraction of the plan's overall reductions. Any offsets that are allowed
should come from projects exclusively within the WCI states and provinces.

By closing the offsets loophole, you can help our state profit from climate
action, instead of outsourcing the benefits to other states and countries.

Sincerely,
John Chendo

 <http://ucsaction.org/campaign/7_24_08_WCI_offset/8k35un8rl7ekbjde?>
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What's At Stake:
The Western Climate Initiative (WCI), a partnership among seven states and
four Canadian provinces to reduce global warming pollution, released
recommendations on July 23 for a regional cap-and-trade system‹a
market-based system to reduce the pollution that causes global warming.

The WCI is grappling with the controversial issue of offsets. Offsets would
allow polluters to purchase emissions reductions from uncapped sectors or
countries, instead of reducing an equivalent amount of their own emissions
or buying allowances from other capped facilities. Offsets have become one
of the most contentious design elements in state, regional, and federal
cap-and-trade systems.

WCI'S PROPOSAL
WCI's goal for the region is reducing global warming pollution 15 percent
below 2005 levels by 2020. For each state that goal translates into a
different reduction level.

The WCI recommendations released on July 23 propose global warming polluters
should be allowed to outsource a majority‹in some cases 100 percent‹of the
emission reductions they otherwise would have been obligated to make
themselves by investing in clean energy and transportation in our state. WCI
proposes a limit on offsets that is unacceptably large. More...
<http://ucsaction.org/campaign/7_24_08_WCI_offset/8k35un8rl7ekbjde?>

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