Governors adopt clean-energy plan

While the Bush administration has ramped up traditional energy exploration in the West, the region’s governors on Tuesday adopted an ambitious initiative calling for expanded use of clean energy sources and greater energy efficiency across 17 states.

The Western Governors Association unanimously adopted a Clean and Diversified Energy Initiative, a project co-sponsored by California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson. The bipartisan policy seeks to establish the region as an energy exporter and to stabilize energy costs.

By exploiting newer, cleaner energy sources, the group says, the West has the capacity to become the “Saudi Arabia of wind and solar energy.”

“California has historically been very aggressive in promoting renewable energy and the highest efficiency standards,” Schwarzenegger said in a statement. “We have proven that cost-effective efficiency programs can help reduce overall energy use, protect our environment and save consumers in the long run.”

Schwarzenegger did not attend the group’s annual meeting in Santa Fe, N.M., but he joined with Richardson two months ago in presenting the plan at another Western Governors’ meeting.

The bipartisan initiative – Schwarzenegger is a Republican; Richardson is a Democrat – was a factor that helped sell the plan to the other governors.

The resolution sets a goal of developing 30,000 megawatts of clean energy by 2015 and increasing energy efficiency 20 percent by 2020. Clean energy includes solar, wind, biomass and clean coal.

The officials established a working group that will take two years to examine how each state may implement changes to reach the goals. Tax incentives and federal and state subsidies are expected to be recommended in the working group’s final report.

Some governors called the targets “aggressive” and were quick to say that clean energy sources would not replace but augment traditional fossil fuels such as oil and gas.

“This region has a unique opportunity to develop clean energy to fuel our growing economy,” Richardson said. “The West also has the highest quality solar, wind and geothermal resources in the nation.”

The region can set an example for the rest of the country, Richardson said.

Conservationists hailed the agreement as a symbolic step to establish the region as a leader in renewable energy.

“This really sets up the West to move toward a more affordable, reliable, energy-efficient future,” said Sheryl Carter, an energy specialist with the Natural Resources Defense Council in San Francisco.

“This is a real crossroads and shows bipartisan leadership. We have enough natural resources in the West to supply the rest of the country.”

The governors were presented with studies that outlined the economic benefit of newer and more efficient energy sources.

“Renewable energy technology is competitive with most conventional forms of energy,” said Craig Cox, with the Colorado-based Western Business Coalition for New Energy Technology, who briefed the governors Tuesday.

“Wind farms are cheaper than natural gas, for example. You can predict the price so you don’t need to worry about price spikes, you don’t need to worry about future regulatory changes. I think these goals are very achievable.”