Saturday, August 12, 2006
Editorial: States fight global warming
Virginia falls behind on the national trend of states picking up the regulatory slack left by a failed administration.
From the RoundTable blog
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Federalism is alive and well.
When it comes to reducing pollution and greenhouse gases, the Bush administration and its allies in Congress have failed the American people. States and localities have therefore formed ranks to fight rampant emissions. Virginia should follow that trend.
Despite mountains of evidence and consensus in the mainstream scientific community that global warming is a real threat, the Bush administration refuses to take action. It will do nothing to fix a long-term problem if regulation might threaten short-term corporate profits.
Much of the rest of the country is not so shortsighted.
Ten states in the Northeast are negotiating caps on carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Companies would trade pollution credits to help reach a goal of cutting emissions 10 percent by 2019.
In the West, California has imposed the nation's toughest auto emissions standards, expecting a 30 percent reduction in a decade. Other states are ready to follow .
Nor is it just the Northeast and the West facing off against global warming. Twenty-two states and the District of Columbia require energy companies to generate some power from renewable sources.
States including Texas, New Mexico, Montana and Maine expect utilities to use more wind, solar, biomass and other environmentally responsible power sources.
A healthy climate is not even a partisan issue outside Washington. Four of the 22 states had a Republican governor and Republican-controlled legislature when they adopted their renewable energy rule. Democrats controlled two. The remaining 16 were split.
Then there is Virginia and the rest of the South. States that pride themselves on independence and outdoor living cling to Washington's smoggy vision.
Reversing course on global warming will require incremental, cooperative change. Virginia could make a solid contribution. Instead, the state Department of Environmental Quality considers easing pollution rules on a tire-burning power plant in Martinsville.
Individual communities also could take action. Salem, in particular, with its public electric department could purchase renewable electricity without waiting for a mandate. Right now, its purchasing contract specifies no percentage of renewables.
While the federal government dawdles and caters to industry, states and localities create critical mass for change. Virginians should lead on the issue, not force the rest of the nation to drag it into the environmental realities of the 21st century.
