Climate Policy Program Bulletin

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Climate Policy Program Bulletin

• Presented by
• 7th Generation Advisors and the New America
  Foundation

www.seventhgenerationadvisors.org www.newamerica.n
et
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From the Director

• As a prelude to a federal policy, the U.S. states
  are leading the way in building a U.S.
• climate change and clean energy policy from the
  ground up.
• This bulletin will be telling the story of these
  states. It will showcase the important
• state work that has occurred in the past few
  years to fight climate change and reduce
• greenhouse gas emissions and it will highlight
  the building blocks the states use to
• create a comprehensive de facto national Climate
  Action Program. State climate action
• policies not only provide examples and lessons
  learned that are helpful to other states,
• but they serve as a blueprint for our current
  federal government to follow in order to make
• the United States an international leader on
  climate change.
• -- Terry Tamminen
• CEO / Founder, Seventh Generation Advisors
• Director of the Climate Policy Program, New
  America Foundation

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Now is the Time

• Because the United States
• is one of the largest emitters
• of greenhouse gases
• (GHGs), the world needs a
• comprehensive U.S.
• national program to address
• GHG emissions to avoid
• passing critical tipping
• points.

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GHG Emissions Reduction Targets

• It is now widely accepted by both the
• scientific community and most
• governments that GHG emissions
• must decline to stabilize the worlds
• climate at no more than a 2 degree
• Centigrade temperature increase.

• To meet this objective it requires that
• global GHG emissions must be cut
• back to at least
• 1990 levels by 2020
• 80 below that by 2050
• GHG reduction targets must be
• established to meet these goals.

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Why the States?
Other nations are more likely to reduce their own
GHGs when the United States is taking action,
even when that action is at the subnational
rather than the national level.

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Strength in Numbers

• Currently
• 22 states have set GHG
• reduction targets
• 32 states have completed or
• are in the process of completing Climate Action
  Plans
• 33 states are participants or
• observers in a regional cap
• and trade program

• The science is clear. The debate is over. The
  time
• for action is now. California will reduce
  emissions
• to their 1990 levels by 2020 and an additional
  80
• by 2050.
• California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
• June 1, 2005

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Building BlocksA goal without a plan is just a
wish.Antoine de Saint-Exupery

• There are specific building blocks that a state
  needs to implement
• to develop a comprehensive Climate Action Program
  that actually
• delivers results.
• Measure, Register, Verify
• Emissions Reduction Targets
• Climate Action Plans
• Transportation and Land Use Policies
• Renewable Portfolio Standards
• Energy Efficiency Policies
• Market Based Systems

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A De Facto National Climate Action Plan

• Many states have taken action by developing
  thorough climate action plans, one state at
• a time, creating a de facto national climate
  action plan.

32 states have Climate Action Plans
Completed climate action plans or equivalent Have
plans underway
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Plans into Action
Codified one or more GHG emissions targets in
state law Declared GHG emissions targets via
executive order or other means
States with Renewable Portfolio Standards
States Adopting California Vehicle Emission
Standards
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Merit in Minnesota Minnesota is on track to
reach the goal stipulated in its Green Solutions
Act of 2008 of reducing greenhouse gas emissions
15 below 2005 levels by 2015. That's roughly
equivalent to reaching 1990 levels of emissions
by 2015 five years ahead of President Obamas
current goal. -- David Sassoon, Founder,
Science First

• In a January 2009 progress
• report submitted to the Minnesota
• Legislature by the state's
• Department of Commerce and its
• Pollution Control Agency, it was
• stated that greenhouse gas
• emissions reached a peak and
• are starting to decline in
• Minnesota.

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Minnesota Future Predictions

• It is likely that Minnesotas emissions will
  continue to decline because of these three
  reasons
• Conservation Improvement Program (CIP)
  Requires the state's utility companies to
  dedicate a portion of their revenues for projects
  that reduce the consumption of electricity and
  natural gas.
• Renewable Energy Standard Established in 2001,
  Minnesota now ranks No. 4 in the nation in
  installed wind capacity. By 2020, Xcel, the
  state's largest utility, must deliver 30 of its
  power from clean sources other utilities must
  deliver 20.
• Metropolitan Emissions Reduction Project (MERP)
  The program makes it easier for utilities to
  retire, replace, or improve dirty coal-burning
  power plants and thereby substantially reduce
  emissions by allowing utilities to propose
  emissions reductions projects to the state.

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Regional Carbon Trading Systems
Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative
(RGGI) Western Climate Initiative
(WCI) Midwestern Greenhouse Gas Reduction Accord
(MGGRA)
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Complete List of Participants and Observers
Asterix denotes observer status, as opposed
to active participants
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If 20 Leadership States With Climate Plans
Achieve Their Targets
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If All 50 States Achieve the Targets Set by 20
Leadership States

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The Role of the Federal Government
My presidency will mark a new chapter in
Americas leadership on climate change that will
strengthen our security and create millions of
new jobs in the process... Well establish strong
annual targets that set us on a course to reduce
emissions to their 1990 levels by 2020 and reduce
them an additional 80 by 2050.
President-Elect Barack Obama / November 18,
2008 Governors Global Climate Summit /
Beverly Hills, CA
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The Federal Government Working with the States

• On February 21, 2009, 12 governors and President
  Barack
• Obamas top energy and environment cabinet
  officials met to
• discuss a federal-state partnership on clean
  energy and climate
• change issues. 14

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Federal State Partnership

• Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
• emphasized the importance of
• meeting with President Obamas
• energy and environment officials for
• the federal-state partnership by
• stating
• Todays meeting was the first
• step in creating a close and lasting
• partnership with President Obama
• and his administration on climate
• change.
• -- California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
• February 21, 2009

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President Obamas Address to Congress

• Energy and the environment were key
• issues in President Obamas Address
• to Congress on February 24, 2009.

• But to truly transform our economy,
• protect our security, and save our planet
• from the ravages of climate change, we
• need to ultimately make clean, renewable
• energy the profitable kind of energy. So I
• ask this Congress to send me legislation
• that places a market-based cap on carbon
• pollution and drives the production of
• more renewable energy in America. And
• to support that innovation, we will invest
• fifteen billion dollars a year to develop
• technologies like wind power and solar
• power advanced biofuels, clean coal, and
• more fuel-efficient cars and trucks built
• right here in America.
• -- President Obama
• February 24, 2009

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Copenhagen 2009

• In 2012, the Kyoto Protocol will
• expire. In December of 2009,
• International leaders will meet at
• the United Nations Climate
• Change Conference in
• Copenhagen to discuss
• negotiations toward the next
• global climate agreement.

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Conclusion

• The states are implementing critical
• policies that reduce GHG emissions and in
• doing so have created a framework for the
• federal government to follow to make the
• United States an international leader on
• combating climate change.
• The state work sets the foundation for the
• U.S. to participate in Copenhagen, where
• international understanding and
• cooperation is imperative to further our
• world to the ultimate goal of a low carbon
• economy.

We need men who can dream of things that never
were. John F. Kennedy
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Endnotes

• 1 www.edf.org/article.cfm?ContentID3344
• 2 www.ipcc.ch/ipccreports/tp-climate-change-wat
  er.htm
• 3 gov.ca.gov/executive-order/1861/
• 4 solveclimate.com/blog/20090203/minnesotas-gree
  nhouse-gas-emissions-start-decline
• 5 www.state.mn.us/portal/mn/jsp/content.do?subc
  hannel-536881736sc2-536881993id-536881351age
  ncyCommerce
• 6 www.dsireusa.org/library/includes/incentive2.
  cfm?Incentive_CodeMN14RstateMNCurrentPageID1
  RE1EE1
• 7 www.dsireusa.org/library/includes/incentive2.
  cfm?Incentive_CodeMN14RstateMNCurrentPageID1
  RE1EE1
• 8 www.rggi.org/home
• 9 www.westernclimateinitiative.org/
• 10 www.midwesternaccord.org/

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References

• Sources for this bulletin include
• Environmental Defense Fund
• www.edf.org
• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
• www.ipcc.ch
• Midwestern Greenhouse Gas Reduction Accord
  (MGGRA)
• www.midwesternaccord.org
• Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative
• www.rggi.org
• Solve Climate
• solveclimate.com
• The Center for Climate Studies
• www.climatestrategies.us
• Union of Concerned Scientists
• www.ucsusa.org
• United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP)
• www.unep.org

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Contact Terry Tamminen Jenna
Cittadino terry.tamminen_at_gmail.com
jenna.cittadino_at_gmail.com 1 310 581 5472
1 310 581 5487
www.seventhgenerationadvisors.org www.newamerica.n
et