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Department of Ecology News Release - July 23, 2008
08-202
OLYMPIA – Staff from the participating states and provinces of the Western Climate Initiative, including Washington, have released a draft design for a regional cap-and-trade program that will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions throughout the region by 2020.
Greenhouse gas emissions are the primary cause of global climate change. A cap-and-trade program is considered to be one of the most cost-effective ways to reduce these emissions. Under such a program, the covered facilities or entities decide how, where and when to make emission reductions, so long as the reductions meet the overall pre-established limit, or cap. Cap-and-trade has been the preferred policy option at the national and international levels because it harnesses the power of the market to provide reductions.
“Despite recent interest at the federal level, the federal government has failed to act to curb greenhouse gases. So it’s important for Washington and our WCI partners to lead these efforts. By leading, we can help ensure the Western perspective is included in any future federal action,” said WCI Chair Janice Adair of Washington.
The WCI is the first regional effort to design a multi-sector cap-and trade program in the United States. It includes a diverse membership of U.S. states and Canadian provinces. The draft design serves as the initial framework for the regional cap-and-trade system for the participating jurisdictions in the WCI. A number of details must still be negotiated.
WCI partners are focusing on developing the regional cap-and-trade program proposal as part of a comprehensive effort to address global climate change, including: promoting the development and use of clean and renewable energy; increasing energy efficiency; advocating regional and national climate policies that reflect the needs and interests of the partner jurisdictions; and identifying measures to adapt to the impacts of climate change.
The draft proposal makes the following key recommendations:
The full draft of the proposal will be available online at http://www.westernclimateinitiative.org. Comments can be submitted via the WCI website through Aug. 13, 2008. The WCI partners will hold a stakeholder workshop July 29 in San Diego, CA. Those who can’t attend in person can participate via an online webinar. Registration link for workshop and the webinar.
Meetings also will be scheduled for Washington state stakeholders. Information will be posted at http://www.ecy.wa.gov/climatechange/index.htm as well as posted to the Washington state listserv. Join the listserv.
WCI partners will consider stakeholder feedback on the draft design proposal and release a final design proposal in September.
History of WCI:
In February 2007, the governors of Arizona, California, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington created the WCI with a long-term commitment to significantly reduce regional greenhouse gases, thus lowering the risk of dangerous threats to the climate. Since the WCI first formed, the states of Utah and Montana and the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Manitoba, Quebec and most recently Ontario have joined. Observers of the WCI include the states of Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Nevada, and Wyoming, the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, and the Mexican border states of Baja California, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, Sonora, and Tamaulipas.
More information on the WCI can be found at http://www.westernclimateinitiative.org.
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Media Contact: Seth Preston, Ecology communications manager, 360-407-6848; 360-584-5744 cell; spre461@ecy.wa.gov
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
