ACT to Thwart Gov. Romney

I have recently followed some great diaries on new scientific findings concerning global warming, and have been dismayed at the lack of diaries on the politics of global warming.  For your pleasure, my thoughts on the Northeast Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, and how we can work to make the Northeast a model for the rest of the country.

For those who don't want the details, but want to do something, call of write MA Gov. Romney, and let him know you support a strong emmissions cap, with the majority of cabron allowances for sale, and no carbon off-sets.  This is the best possibility for a national model to fight global warming emmissions.

State House
Office of the Governor
Room 360
Boston, MA 02133
Phone: [phone]
           [phone] (instate use only)
FAX:    [phone]
TTY:    [phone]

Washington D.C.
Office of the Governor
444 N. Capitol Street, Suite 208
Washington, D.C. 20001
Phone: [phone]
FAX:    [phone]

The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) is a project of nine Northeastern states (MA, VT, CT, ME, NH, RI, NY, NJ,DE) started to combat the problem greenhouse gas emissions at the regional level.  Some of these states have already acted independantly to fight global warming.  Vermont has the largest number of wind turbines in the region, and Massachusetts Gov. Romney released a climate action plan in 2001, a first of its kind roadmap to reducing global warming emissions.

RGGI came into existence as a way for a region to fight this problem in the abscence of federal initiative.  The primary way that the group plans to reduce greenhouse gasses is through a cap and trade program similar to the one already in existence in the EU.

For those unfamiliar with these sorts of programs, the basics are pretty simple.  The region would set a cap on the total tonnage of CO2 emmissions per year (in this case set at 10% below current levels).  This is the cap portion of a cap and trade program.  

The trade comes from "emmission allowances."  Similar allowances already exist in national programs to reduce the amount of smog and acid rain forming emmissions, specifically nitrous oxides and sulfur oxides.  An allowance is a quantity of emmissions that a producer can emit over the specified amount.  These allowances can either be sold or given freely by the body administering the cap and trade program.  In the national smog and acid rain reduction program as well as the EU carbon trading, these allowances are sold.

 One final piece:  there is also the possibility for including "carbon off-sets."  This is when industry claims reduction in carbon emmissions not through actual emmisions reductions, but through another process that would reduce atmospheric carbon (like planting trees), or through process efficiences (such as new technology in the pre-production phase).  

 The issues of off-sets and emmissions sales have halted progress for the NE RGGI.  Industry wants emmissions givaways, and the inclusion of massive off-sets.  This is because industry claims the cost of compliance would be excessive, leading to higher costs for consumers.

Their claims, however, are unreasonable.  As anyone associated with the problems around global warming knows, the costs associated with inaction are much higher. It is obvious that someone will be required to pay for the transition between our current emmissions and future reductions.  To say that 15 years for 10% reduction is too expensive misses the radical steps that will need to follow for us to truly mitigate the problems of global warming.  

Furthermore, carbon trading is a multi-billion dollar industry in the EU right now.  Wise investment could lead to greater reductions, by buying the rights to carbon emmissions, and refusing the sell.

Do something!  Give Romney a ring, and speak you mind about the need to fight global warming!  Do it before you comment!

State House
Office of the Governor
Room 360
Boston, MA 02133
Phone: [phone]
           [phone] (instate use only)
FAX:    [phone]
TTY:    [phone]

Washington D.C.
Office of the Governor
444 N. Capitol Street, Suite 208
Washington, D.C. 20001
Phone: [phone]
FAX:    [phone]