States take lead in cutting carbon emissions

At least 21 states and the District of Columbia are on track to trim 108 million metric tons of carbon dioxide a year.

from the April 27, 2007 edition

Page 2 of 2

Page 1 | 2

Bills call for more energy from renewables

Several bills pending in Congress would require 20 percent of US energy to come from renewables by 2020. That standard would be tougher than many state requirements and could cut the growth of US emissions 60 percent by 2020, the UCS analysis shows. At that level, state RPS would produce 180,000 megawatts of power, 11 times current levels. Most important, it would prevent 434 million metric tons of CO2 emissions from entering the atmosphere.

That still leaves CO2 emissions growing in the future. But it shows RPS can eliminate a substantial portion of greenhouse-gas emissions, paving the way perhaps for a broader national push for energy efficiency with tougher standards for appliances and lighting, for instance.

If Congress were to mandate a new national standard that caps CO2 emissions and permits the trading of emissions allowances – a so-called cap-and-trade approach – state programs might still play a key role in accelerating the transition to less carbon-intensive energy production.

"I think [renewable energy standards] would still find a home in a world with a federal cap-and-trade system," says Michael Oppenheimer, a Princeton scientist and a lead author in the most recent report by the authoritative Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. "These programs could be useful if for no other reason than that they provide extra incentives for bringing on renewable energy rapidly."

1 | Page 2