More State Action on Greenhouse Gas Emissions

It was just on Sunday that I posted about how Oregon and Washington are planning to join California in requiring cars sold there to comply with stricter-than-federal emissions standards. Today, the New York Times reports on another important new cooperative effort between states to take action that will decrease pollution emissions from power plants.

According to the Times, which cites a "confidential draft proposal" in its report, nine Northeastern states (Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont) "have come to a preliminary agreement to freeze power plant emissions at their current levels and then reduce them by 10 percent by 2020." The legislature of each state will have to approve the plan prior to implementation.

As the article notes, this type of cooperative agreement between states to cap and reduce power plant pollution is unprecedented, but California, Washington and Oregon are reportedly in discussions to enter into a similiar regional effort.

The Northeastern agreement was instigated by New York's Republican governor George Pataki back in 2003, the Times reports - Pataki has long been concerned with the problem of greenhouse gas emissions and global warming, and I'm more than a little pleased that he took this step and that he's been able to persuade so many of his gubernatorial colleagues to join with him in taking action while the Bush Administration twiddles its thumbs.

This is yet another good step forward from the states on environmental matters, and I hope that the states can work out the final remaining details and get this agreement in place.