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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Brought to you by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute
Virginia Energy Plan Calls for 30% Reduction in GHGs Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine unveiled the state’s new energy plan September 12 with goals of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 30 percent by 2025, to return to its year 2000 emissions level, while increasing in-state energy production 20 percent by 2017. The plan came in response to legislation from the 2006 General Assembly which required a long-range energy plan be put in place for the state. Other goals from the plan include educating citizens about energy use and investing money into the research and development of nuclear energy, coastal wind energy, alternative fuels, and offshore drilling for exploring natural gas resources. "The commitment to cut greenhouse gas emissions to 2000 levels by 2025 is a noteworthy start, although it is weaker than the positions staked out by other states,” said Trip Pollard, senior attorney for the Southern Environmental Law Center. Other environmental groups claim the plan still relies too heavily on fossil fuels and nuclear power. However, Michael Town, head of the state chapter of the Sierra Club said, "It's refreshing to see leadership on global warming and energy efficiency." Click on the following links for more information:
SEC Pressed to Require Businesses to Disclose Climate Risks A group of state officials, state pension fund managers, and environmental organizations have signed a petition asking the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to require public companies to disclose their risk to climate change and legislation. The petition requests more information than many businesses currently provide regarding effects of climate change, such as what impact new legislation would have on energy companies or the risks insurance companies face on coastlines. "There's a growing recognition that climate change poses significant business risks, and for some companies, this may so change the landscape that it is of significance to investors," said Gary Guzy of Marsh & McLennan and former general counsel to the Environmental Protection Agency. The SEC did not comment on the petition, but SEC spokesman John Nester noted, "The SEC is committed to robust disclosure by companies of material environmental issues.” Environmental groups have written to the SEC on this matter twice in the past, but by signing a petition these groups hope the SEC will be pressed to act. Click on the following link for more information: New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has subpoenaed five energy companies to begin an investigation into whether these companies have disclosed enough information to investors about the risks climate change will have on future coal-burning power plants. The companies included in the investigation, AES Corporation, Dominion, Dynegy, Peabody Energy and Xcel Energy, each received letters from the Attorney General’s office noting the link between coal-burning emissions and climate change, along with the strong possibility of future regulations of these emissions. “Any one of the several new or likely regulatory initiatives for CO2 emissions from power plants—including state carbon controls, EPA’s regulations under the Clean Air Act, or the enactment of federal global warming legislation—would add a significant cost to carbon-intensive coal generation,” the letter stated. A spokesman for Xcel, Thomas Hoen, said in response to the subpoena, “Our financial disclosures are adequate. We look forward to discussing this matter further with the New York attorney general.” The companies have until October 9, 2007, to respond to the letter. Click on the following links for more information: The National Research Council released a report September 13 reviewing progress made by the US Climate Change Science Program (CCSP), noting that much advancement had been made in understanding and documenting climate change, but that the technology looking at the effects climate change will have on society and efforts to adapt are still immature. In addition, progress needs to be made in communicating the findings to a broader audience, particularly policymakers. The program “needs to package more of that knowledge for policymakers from the national to local level, and place more emphasis on understanding how people will be affected by climate change and how they might react," according to Veerabhadran Ramanathan, the committee chair for the group evaluating the program. The program was created by President Bush in 2002 to expand government research on climate change among 13 federal agencies. One of its most serious setbacks is the cutting or drastic reduction in use of earth-orbiting satellites to monitor climate and atmospheric change, due to a shift in government priorities. “The loss of existing and planned satellite sensors is perhaps the single greatest threat to the future success” of climate research, the report concludes. Click on the following links for more information:
Healing the Ozone Holes Could Help Lower Earth's Temperature Representatives from 191 countries met this week in Montreal beginning September 17 for a four day conference to discuss the future of the Montreal Protocol, a treaty signed twenty years ago to reduce the production of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), a group of chemicals that deplete the ozone. The treaty has been considered a success, but now officials are meeting to discuss the phase out of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), a chemical used as a refrigerant to transition away from CFCs. While safer for the ozone layer compared to CFCs, these chemicals are potent greenhouse gases (GHGs). Pushing the deadline for HCFC phase out ahead by ten years could reduce CO2-equivalent emissions by 18 to 25 billion metric tons, research has shown. This could amount to 3.5 percent of annual global GHG emissions. Nobel Laureate Professor Mario Molina spoke at the conference, noting that “more has been achieved in terms of greenhouse gas emission reductions under the Montreal Protocol than under the Kyoto Protocol.” Click on the following links for more information: Sweden will raise taxes on carbon emissions as a means to deal with climate change, energy minister Maud Olofsson announced September 17. The tax increase was based upon a 6 öre tax increase per kilo of CO2 emitted, which translates to a 17 öre (2.6 cents) per liter increase in gasoline prices. Additionally, taxes on ethanol will be abolished starting January 2009, which the government hopes will encourage owners of ethanol-ready cars to choose E85 over gasoline. The government issued a statement regarding the increases saying, “It is time for Sweden to go from words to action. We need to push for sustainable climate and energy policies.” Click on the following link for more information: Judge Dismisses California Global Warming Lawsuit Against Automakers A federal judge in San Francisco on September 17 threw out a lawsuit filed by the state attorney general against automakers General Motors, Toyota, Ford Motor Co., Honda North America, Chrysler Motors Corp. and Nissan North America. The lawsuit, filed in November 2006, sought unspecified damages to the state’s land, air, and water, hoping to hold automakers financially responsible for the greenhouse gases (GHG) they emit which contribute to global warming. US District Judge Martin Jenkins said it would be inappropriate for the court to interfere with an issue that should be handled by the political branches of government. Additionally, he argued that global warming is caused by others in addition to automakers. “In this case, there are multiple worldwide sources of atmospheric warming across myriad industries and multiple countries,” he wrote. Following the dismissal, Theodore Boutrous, an attorney representing the automakers said, “Our bottom-line point is that global warming presents exceedingly complex policy issues that must be addressed at the national level by Congress and the president, not through lawsuits seeking damages in the federal courts.” Click on the following link for more information:
Keeping Goal of Temperature Rise to 2°C 'Unlikely,' IPCC Scientist Reports Professor Martin Parry, member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and co-chair of its Impacts, Vulnerability and Adaptation working group, reported that he thinks chances are not good that global temperature rise can be maintained at or below 2°C. In a September 18 interview with BBC News, Parry estimated that he believes the temperature can be constrained to 2-3°C, but stated, “It's evident from the work of the IPCC that even with a maximum of 2°C we're not going to avoid some major impacts at the regional level.” Some of the most dramatic impacts include water shortages in Africa, as well as Asia and South America due to mountain glacier melt, lower crop yields in the tropics, and increased heat waves in Europe. Professor Parry’s findings are included in his group’s final 2007 IPCC report that is being presented this September in London. Click on the following link for more information:
EESI Briefings September 25, 2007 National and International Perspectives on Energy and Climate Policy: A Roundtable Discussion
September 26, 2007 The Daily Transit Pass: A Powerful Weapon to Combat Global Climate Change. The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) invite you to a briefing at which a new study will be released entitled Public Transportation’s Contribution to U.S. Greenhouse Gas Reduction. The briefing will be held Wednesday, September 26, from 9:30-11:00 AM at 2253 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC.
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Fredric Beck This EESI publication is a free, weekly electronic newsletter intended to inform interested parties, particularly the policymaker community, of the latest climate change-related news. Permission for reproduction of this newsletter is granted provided that EESI is properly acknowledged as the source. The Environmental and Energy Study Institute is a non-profit organization established in 1984 by a bipartisan, bicameral group of members of Congress to provide timely information on energy and environmental policy issues to policymakers and stakeholders and develop innovative policy solutions that set us on a cleaner, more secure and sustainable energy path. |
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