31 states to track, measure greenhouse gases
Led by California and New England, 31 states representing more than 70 percent of the U.S. population announced Tuesday that they will jointly track and measure greenhouse gas emissions by major industries.
The newly formed Climate Registry is the latest example of states going farther than the federal government in taking steps to combat global warming. State officials and some affected industries and environmentalists say the registry is a crucial precursor to both mandatory and market-based regulation of industrial gases that contribute to warming.
All agree the most important part of the new registry is that the emissions statistics that are collected will be subjected to third-party verification, unlike a Bush administration program that does not require verification.
“You have to be able to count carbon pollution in order to cut carbon pollution,” said Frances Beinecke, president of the environmental group the Natural Resources Defense Council. “The registry gives business and policymakers an essential accounting tool for tracking the success of the many emerging global warming emission reduction initiatives that are blossoming across the country.”
The registry participants range from states that are moving aggressively to impose mandatory greenhouse gas reduction policies to others that are just beginning to examine whether to take even voluntary steps.
“This includes a lot of deeply conservative states who have signed on that we weren’t expecting,” said Nancy Whalen, spokeswoman for the California Climate Action Registry, the only current statewide emissions tracking system, which helped develop the multistate program.
The new registry, which will be based in Washington, D.C., with regional offices, will begin tracking data next January.
Bob Malone, chairman and president of energy giant BP America, said, “We believe a credible reporting system of greenhouse gas emissions is the first step in developing government policy and corporate programs.”
BP produces and sells fuel to power plants, cars and trucks, the main contributors to greenhouse gases. The company is among several that applauded the creation of the registry, believing that in time they can profit from accurate reporting.
Some Democrats criticized the Bush administration for not doing more, leaving states to take action on their own.
“The Climate Registry is another example of how states are taking the lead in the absence of federal action to address greenhouse gas emissions in this country,” said Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, a Democrat whose state is a charter member.
White House Council on Environmental Quality spokeswoman Kristen Hellmer responded, “In 2002, President Bush called for the creation of a national reporting registry, and the federal government followed that call by creating state-of-the-art reporting protocols where businesses and institutions submit comprehensive reports on their greenhouse gas emissions, sequestration and reductions.”
But industry, environmental and state registry officials said while it was true that the U.S. Department of Energy has a greenhouse gas registry, it does not require independent verification of data, among other key differences.