Breakthrough Plan to Cut Greenhouse Gasses

SACRAMENTO Breakthrough plan to cut greenhouse gases Goal is to reduce carbon dioxide 25% by 2020 - Tom Chorneau, Chronicle Sacramento Bureau Tuesday, April 4, 2006 Sacramento -- A landmark plan for reducing greenhouse gases in California beginning in five years moved forward Monday with the backing of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislative leaders. The plan, drawn by administration advisers, would put in place a series of groundbreaking programs including a requirement that companies keep track of their greenhouse emissions and report them to the state. Even before the ink was dry, key legislative leaders announced their embrace of the plan's ambitious goals and their intent to introduce legislation that would impose hard limits on future emissions. Although it is unclear if the governor and lawmakers agree on all major issues surrounding emission control, supporters of the proposed regulation said Monday's events were a sign that action is likely. "This is an extremely big deal," said Karen Douglas, director of the California Climate Initiative, Environmental Defense, one of several outside groups that helped shape the governor's program. "We have leadership of the state Legislature and the governor stepping up and really wanting to make a difference on global warming." The 1,300-page report on the plan includes more than 50 strategies for cutting carbon dioxide emissions beginning in 2010 with a goal of reducing emissions 25 percent by 2020. Among them is an idea for creating a market in which emission credits could be traded between sources, to give businesses some flexibility. There's also a suggestion that the state consider imposing a surcharge on gasoline to help pay for research into clean fuels. The report comes almost a year after the Republican governor made international headlines by calling for curbs on gases emitted from cars, power plans and other industrial sources. Most experts believe that carbon dioxide emissions are causing global temperatures to rise, which in turn disrupt weather patterns, water supplies and air quality. Although Schwarzenegger ordered the plan to be drawn and his administration oversaw its drafting, the governor has not said if he backs any of the specific recommendations. Next week the governor plans to convene a summit in San Francisco of scientists, environmentalists and business leaders to consider the options. Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez, D-Los Angeles, has given his support to the plan and is backing legislation to put it into law. He said in news conference Monday that the time has come for stiff regulations. "I am deeply troubled about global warming, and I worry about the world we're leaving our children and grandchildren," Núñez said. "But today, I am also hopeful, because we in California are leading the nation in developing and implementing global warming solutions." Schwarzenegger has also not taken a position on the implementing bill by Núñez and Assemblywoman Fran Pavley, D-Agoura Hills (Los Angeles County). Pavley said she believes there is broad support for taking aggressive steps to cut greenhouse gases. "We don't hear in California anymore that there's any question whether climate changes are caused by human resources," she said. "We just have to figure out the most creative, cost-effective strategies to do our fair share." Critics of the program, who include manufacturers and agriculture groups, said they are concerned about the proposal's impact on the economy. Allan Zaremberg, president of the California Chamber of Commerce, said he does not oppose efforts to control emissions but is concerned about how it is done. He said mandatory caps on emissions could increase costs to businesses, forcing them to leave California. "It could be that a manufacturer would move to a place in the world where there's even more emissions created," he said. "I think there needs to be a common sense approach to reduction of emissions on a global basis." Bill Magavern, spokesman for the Sierra Club of California, noted that the greenhouse gas issue would pose political problems for Schwarzenegger, who has drawn much of his support from business. "If the governor wants to show he's serious about this he's going to have to make some tough choices," Magavern said. E-mail Tom Chorneau at tchorneau@sfchronicle.com. Page B - 1 URL: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/04/04/BAG74I33T61.DTL