Safe
Climate
Act
of
2006
Up
to
68
Bipartisan
Cosponsors
The
Safe
Climate
Act
of
2006
(H.R.
5642),
introduced
by
Rep.
Waxman
(D-CA)
on
June
20,
now
has
68
cosponsors,
including
two
Republicans,
Reps.
Leach
(R-IA)
and
Weldon
(R-PA).
The
bill
calls
for
a
mandatory
market-based
cap
and
trade
system
in
an
effort
to
prevent
average
global
temperatures
from
not
increasing
above
2°C
(3.6°F)
above
the
preindustrial
average;
that
global
atmospheric
concentrations
of
carbon
dioxide
(CO2)
equivalent
do
not
exceed
450
parts
per
million;
and
that
US
CO2
equivalent
emissions
are
reduced
by
80
percent
from
1990
levels
by
2050.
Senators
Alexander
and
Carper
Call
for
New
Clean
Air
Legislation
with
Carbon
Cap
On
August
16,
Senators
Alexander
(R-TN)
and
Carper
(D-DE)
issued
a
statement
saying,
"The
Clean
Air
Planning
Act
[S.
2724]
would
significantly
reduce
emissions
of
sulfur
dioxide,
nitrogen
oxide,
and
mercury
above
and
beyond
current
law,
while
also
encouraging
the
development
of
clean-coal
power
plants
across
the
country."
The
bipartisan
bill
was
introduced
May
5
and
has
seven
cosponsors.
The
Senators’
announcement
said
the
Act
would
"Cap
carbon
dioxide
emissions
from
power
plants
at
2006
levels
by
2010
and
reduce
them
to
2001
levels
by
2015.
Power
plants
could
meet
these
new
requirements
either
by
reducing
their
own
CO2
emissions
or
buying
CO2
‘credits’
on
the
open
market
from
other
industries
that
can
more
cheaply
reduce
their
greenhouse
gas
emissions."
The
House
companion
bill
is
H.R.
1873,
introduced
April
7,
2005.
California
Considers
Carbon
Cap
Legislation
The
California
Global
Warming
Solutions
Act
of
2006
(AB32),
authored
by
Assembly
Speaker
Fabian
Núñez
(D-CA)
and
Assemblywoman
Fran
Pavley
(D-CA),
is
making
its
way
through
the
state
legislature,
passing
Senate
Appropriations
by
a
vote
of
8-4
on
August
17.
The
bill
passed
the
House
Assembly
Floor
on
April
11,
2005
by
a
vote
of
50-27.
The
bill
would
require
a
20
percent
reduction
in
the
amount
of
carbon
dioxide
(CO2)
and
other
greenhouse
gases
(GHGs)
emitted
into
the
air
by
2020.
Industries
would
be
required
to
begin
making
reductions
in
2012.
Passage
of
the
bill
would
make
California
the
first
state
in
the
country
to
cap
GHG
emissions.
As
reported
by
the
San
Francisco
Chronicle,
business
groups
such
as
the
state
Chamber
of
Commerce
and
Farm
Bureau
Federation
oppose
the
legislation
and
say
it
will
cost
in-state
jobs,
while
several
venture
capitalists
and
entrepreneurs
promoting
the
legislation
argue
that
the
new
regulations
would
create
a
boon
for
industries
such
as
solar
power
and
biofuels
that
will
power
the
California
economy
for
decades.
California
Governor
Schwarzenegger,
who
signed
an
executive
order
last
summer
setting
state
targets
to
reduce
GHG
emissions,
has
indicated
he
supports
setting
caps
into
law.
However,
some
environmentalists
say
the
administration
has
proposed
amendments
to
the
bill
that
will
weaken
it
by
allowing
deadlines
to
be
delayed.
Schwarzenegger
spokesman
Darrel
Ng
said,
"He
hopes
to
have
a
bill
on
his
desk
this
year
that
he
can
sign,
but
he
wants
to
make
sure
it
can
be
in
a
way
that
protects
the
economy
and
the
environment."
Carbon
Cap
Can
Stimulate
California
Economy
On
August
16,
the
University
of
California
at
Berkeley
submitted
a
report
to
state
legislators
which
finds
that
returning
California's
greenhouse
gas
(GHG)
emissions
to
1990
levels
by
2020,
as
envisioned
by
AB
32,
can
boost
the
annual
Gross
State
Product
(GSP)
by
$60
billion
and
create
17,000
new
jobs
by
2020.
Further,
if
climate
policies
are
designed
to
create
direct
incentives
for
California
companies
to
invest
in
new
technology,
the
gains
could
be
even
larger
--$74
billion
in
annual
GSP
and
89,000
new
jobs
by
2020.
David
Roland-Holst,
UC
Berkeley
adjunct
professor
of
agricultural
and
resource
economics
and
author
of
the
report,
said
"Our
study
demonstrates
that
meeting
the
2020
limits
under
debate
in
Sacramento
can
stimulate
the
state
economy....
Climate
action
can
be
profitable."
According
to
a
UC
Berkeley
press
release,
UC
economists
organized
a
letter
to
the
legislature
and
Gov.
Arnold
Schwarzenegger
urging
state
leaders
to
accelerate
climate
action.
The
letter,
signed
by
60
economists
from
across
California—including
three
Nobel
Laureates—calls
emissions
caps
a
"particularly
potent
strategy"
and
warns
that
"the
most
expensive
things
we
can
do
is
nothing."
In
related
news,
on
August
9
the
non-profit
group
Environment
California
released
a
report
stating
that
cutting
GHG
emissions
can
be
good
for
California
businesses
and
economy.
The
report
highlights
12
businesses
or
institutions
that
reduced
their
GHG
emissions
by
more
than
100
million
pounds
per
year—while
reducing
their
annual
operating
costs
by
more
than
$13
million.
RGGI
Issues
Model
Rule
for
GHG
Cap-and-Trade
Program
On
August
15,
the
participating
states
issued
a
model
rule
for
the
Regional
Greenhouse
gas
Initiative
(RGGI),
a
cooperative
effort
by
seven
Northeastern
and
Mid-Atlantic
states
to
reduce
carbon
dioxide
(CO2)
emissions.
The
model
set
of
regulations
details
the
proposed
program
and
will
form
the
basis
of
individual
state
regulatory
and/or
statutory
proposals
to
implement
the
program,
which
would
create
the
country's
first
market
for
CO2
by
curbing
emissions
at
power
plants.
Dr.
Peter
Frumhoff,
director
of
the
Global
Environment
Program
at
the
Union
of
Concerned
Scientists
(UCS)
said,
"Global
warming
