Schwarzenegger proposes climate policy summit to counter federal inaction
Saying he was "tired of waiting for Washington to act," this week California Governor Schwarzenegger announced plans to organize a "climate policy summit" to be held next month and he plans to invite the Governors of all 50 states, as well as leaders of regional and local states and provinces from Canada, China, India, and other countries. Governor Schwarzenegger plans to use the summit to get state leaders to agree on a plan for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, which no doubt is intended to put pressure on the next administration to incorporate these regional initiatives into a federal plan of action. The summit is scheduled for November 18 and 19 in Los Angeles.
There is significant momentum going into this summit of state and community leaders who are pressing forward with local and regional-based climate-related initiatives. In the same week as Governor Schwarzenegger announced that he would host the summit, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) – a consortium of 10 Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states – held its first auction of emission trading allowances for utilities, and the Western Climate Initiative (WCI) – which includes seven Western states and four Canadian provinces – announced a greenhouse gas cap and trade plan.
