Do We Have a Cap? Midwest Governors and Climate Leadership

While all eyes are on D.C. to bring the nation closer to a clean energy future, there was big news this week in Minneapolis.

That is where the better part of two years of negotiation culminated in a groundbreaking agreement to reduce global warming pollution and revitalize the regional economy through clean energy development. I was honored to be among the advisory group appointed by governors from the states of Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Iowa and Kansas (and joined by the Premier of Manitoba) who have been working on a regional plan to cap carbon pollution and advance clean energy to be in place by 2012. 

Admittedly, six states is just a start. But don't let the regional scope of the plan distract you. When you consider that the commentators and talking heads watching the DC debates repeatedly refer to the Midwest as a road block to national action to cap carbon emissions, what happened in Minneapolis is critically important. A group of environmentalists, energy utilities, petroleum and manufacturing business representatives (all appointed by the governors) managed to work through what are the hardest and most contentious issues in our nation's energy policy and emerged with an integrated system that is actually more rigorous on carbon and clean energy investments than the one being debated in our nation's capital. It sends an undeniable signal to our representatives in Washington that "it can be done" and the Heartland is a leading part of the solution.

More importantly, it can be done in a way that protects the health, safety, economy, and security of the nation. After all, that's what we've negotiated for the region.

I am waiting for news that Governor Quinn has signed on to the recommendations in Illinois. And I hope that the rest of the governors follow suit in time to head to D.C. to make it clear that the Midwest is opening the road to a reinvigorated economy and clean energy future.

This post originally appeared on NRDC's Switchboard blog.

Comments

[American50]

Carbon Cap
will put thousands more out of a job

[mioffe]

Henry Henderson: “I was honored to be among the advisory group appointed by governors from the states of Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Iowa and Kansas (and joined by the Premier of Manitoba) who have been working on a regional plan to cap carbon pollution and advance clean energy to be in place by 2012.”
Dear Henry Henderson, I am sorry to inform you that advisory group gave to Governors wrong recommendations.
It is not only carbon dioxide or other GHG.
It is winds and their direction, which send hot air to cloud level.
It is reflection, which send short wave back to space.
It is huge convection forces.
It is cloud formation.
It oceans streams.
It is properties of water and ice.
It is water evaporation, which take a lot of energy on the ground level and send vapor as lighter gas to cloud level, where infrared radiation escapes to space. Mankind activities changed not only carbon dioxide, which is not main player in Nature, but only tilling of land changed reflection, convection forces, evaporation and cloud formation.
Claiming only carbon dioxide will direct our activities in wrong direction
We need to use all natural properties to reduce effect of global warming especially cooling effects of water vapor, water droplet, water, and ice.

[sc300nc]

Do you think the Federal Gov't is going to stand back and let the states do it on their own? Heck no they won't. How's Obama going to get money for his healthcare program if he is not collecting the taxes(he refers to it as revenue) from his cap and trade?

Papa Barack ain't gonna be happy!