By GARY POLAKOVIC
Times Environmental Writer

October 7 2001

More than two dozen U.S. states and cities, no longer waiting for the Bush
administration to seize the initiative against global warming, have begun
taking steps to
reduce emissions that scientists say are heating the planet.

>From Vermont to Oregon, state and local governments are calling for
broader use of
energy-saving devices, more energy-efficient building standards,
cleaner-burning power plants and more investment in such renewable energy
sources
as wind and solar power--all to help reduce greenhouse gases that trap the
sun's energy near the Earth's surface.

Many of the strategies being promoted mimic those endorsed in July by 180
nations
as part of an international campaign against global warming that the Bush
administration declined to join.

In August, six New England states and five eastern Canadian provinces
signed a pact
to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Under the agreement, the signatories
pledged to cut emissions to 1990 levels by 2010 and by 10% below that level
by 2020.
Those cuts are to be followed by even deeper reductions. It is the most
ambitious goal set by state governments and it was supported by three
Republican
governors, two Democrats and one Independent from Massachusetts,
Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine.

No single state or region can make a substantial reduction in the gases
that contribute
to global warming. Moreover, much of the success of state and local efforts
relies on voluntary compliance from industry.

Still, advocates of state and local initiatives are confident that there is
enough public
support to ensure broad cooperation in the private sector.

"Public demand for action on climate change increased when the United
States was
not a part of the [international] agreement. It had a powerful impact on
the
thinking of all kinds of people, including governors and heads of large
companies," said
Tom Peterson, director of domestic policy for the Center for Clean Air
Policy in Washington.

The center was created in 1985 by a bipartisan group of governors to
promote
economical solutions to air pollution.

"This is a way [for states] to distinguish themselves from the Bush
administration,"
California Resources Secretary Mary Nichols said. "A lot of practical,
moderate
people are recognizing climate change is a reality, not a theory, and they
need to take
it into account and help move the direction of the world by doing something
about it."

California was an early leader in reducing dependence on fossil fuels that
release
greenhouse gases. Today, 12% of its electrical power comes from renewable
sources, more than any other state.

President Bush has sent mixed signals concerning global warming. Shortly
after he
took office, he reneged on a campaign promise to cut emissions of carbon
dioxide,
the most abundant greenhouse gas. He said he rejected the international
accord,
outlined in Kyoto, Japan, in 1997 and ratified last summer, because it
would cost
U.S. jobs and did not immediately impose limits on emissions from
developing
countries, including India and China.

Last spring, Bush announced the formation of a task force of Cabinet
members to
formulate U.S. policy. The work of the task force was slowed by
disagreements
among its members and by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

In the meantime, several members of Congress, including Sens. James M.
Jeffords (I-
Vt.), John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Joseph I. Lieberman (D-Conn.), have begun
formulating policy. McCain and Lieberman announced in August that they
would
develop legislation to cap greenhouse emissions and reduce them using a
market-based trading mechanism. But that bill, too, has been delayed as
Congress
grapples with the enormous fallout from the attacks on the World Trade
Center
and the Pentagon.

Meanwhile, officials of several states say they are making measurable
progress.

In New Jersey, officials say they are on track to cut greenhouse gases by
3.5% below
1990 levels by 2005. The plan relies on capturing emissions from
methane--which traps 20 times more heat than carbon dioxide--from
landfills, securing
voluntary reductions from various industries and preserving open space and
trees, which can absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, said Amy
Collings,
spokeswoman for the state Department of Environmental Protection.

New York Gov. George Pataki in June announced a series of measures to
improve
energy efficiency and trim greenhouse gases. Specifically, the Republican
governor ordered state buildings to get 20% of their electricity from
renewable sources,
such as solar or wind power, by 2010.

In the Northwest, Seattle City Light, the local electric utility, will
offset any carbon
dioxide emissions from power generation with wider use of clean-fueled
vehicles
and other measures.

In Oregon, more than 20,000 people have signed up for the "Blue Sky
Program" by
paying an extra $3 per month on their utility bills to ensure that Pacific
Power
and Light purchases electricity from sources that don't contribute to
global warming,
said Tim Honadel, sustainability coordinator for Gov. John Kitzhaber.

The California Legislature has established a registry to track greenhouse
gas
production. It gives businesses interested in reducing their emissions a
place to record
their progress. Such progress will be rewarded when the state, as
anticipated, begins
to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.

There are growing indications that businesses, large and small, do want to
cooperate,
if only to ensure that they have a hand in crafting policies and
regulations many
see as inevitable.

A group of Fortune 500 companies joined with the Philadelphia-based Pew
Charitable
Trusts to study and develop market-driven solutions to global warming.
Among the companies participating in the project are British Petroleum,
Boeing Co.,
Enron, Lockheed Martin Corp., Toyota Motor Corp. and International Energy
Corp.

At a carpet mill in Industry, where Interface Inc. employs 500 people,
workers are busy
producing "climate neutral" carpet for commercial buildings, which is made
without generating greenhouse gases. The company recently installed a
$1-million
solar array at its plant so it can make its product without any adverse
impact on the
Earth's atmosphere, said Jim Hartzfeld, vice president of sustainable
strategies for the
Atlanta-based corporation.

"This is about good business," Hartzfeld said. "It's not about philanthropy
or altruism.
It's about delivering better value."

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