GOVERNOR DOYLE CONTINUES LEADERSHIP ON RENEWABLE ENERGY: ESTABLISHES MIDWESTERN GREENHOUSE GAS ACCORD
Milwaukee, WI – Wisconsin Environment congratulates
Governor Jim Doyle for hosting the historic Midwestern Governors Association
(MGA) Energy Security and Climate Change Summit November 14th and 15th
in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where ten mid-western states’ governors, including
Gov. Doyle as Chair of the MGA, signed a groundbreaking accord to serve as a
regional strategy to reduce global warming emissions and promote clean,
homegrown renewable energy.
“This
summit builds on the track-record of leadership Governor Doyle has provided to
make Wisconsin a leader in renewable energy,” said Dan Kohler, director of Wisconsin
Environment. “The Midwestern Greenhouse
Gas Reduction Accord responds to significant public concern and provides a
framework, and hopefully momentum, for aggressive state action to reduce global
warming emissions and increase renewable energy and conservation.”
Key
goals of the Midwestern Greenhouse Gas Reduction Accord include:
·
Establishing
global warming emissions targets and developing a market-based and multi-sector
cap-and-trade mechanism to help achieve global warming emissions reduction
targets;
·
Meeting
at least 2 percent of regional annual retail sales of natural gas and electricity
through energy efficiency improvements by 2015, and continuing to achieve an
additional 2 percent in efficiency improvements every year thereafter;
·
Ensuring
30 percent of electricity consumed in the region be from renewable sources by
2030.
In a report
released earlier this week by Wisconsin Environment, ““America’s Clean Energy Stars: State Actions Leading America to a New Energy
Future,” Wisconsin received
special recognition for adopting bold policies to promote clean energy
that can provide a model for the entire nation. Wisconsin is one of
nine states – Arizona, Colorado,
Delaware, Illinois, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico and Wisconsin
– highlighted as “rising star” clean
energy states in recognition of their strong recent actions to promote energy
efficiency and the use of renewable sources of energy.
Wisconsin is a large emitter of global warming
pollution. According to data from the
Department of Energy, Wisconsin’s carbon emissions increased 25% between 1990
and 2004. Were Wisconsin its own country, it would have ranked 37th
in the world for emissions during 2004, ahead of nations such as Austria and
Portugal.
A recent statewide poll of Wisconsin voters found overwhelming
support across party lines for state-level action to address global warming. The
poll found that 84% of likely Wisconsin voters favor action by the State of
Wisconsin to reduce emissions, like carbon dioxide, that lead to global
warming. The Potawatomi poll of 600 likely Wisconsin general election voters
was conducted July 26-29, 2007 by the Mellman Group, Inc. and has a margin of
error of +/- 4.0%.
On October 31st,
the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, Chaired by Senator
Mark Miller, voted to advance the bill known as the Wisconsin Safe Climate Act
which would reduce global warming emissions in Wisconsin to 1990 levels by
2020. The bill awaits action by the Joint
Committee on Finance.
“Governor Doyle has established
a regional strategy and goals; now it’s up to the legislature to take action,”
said Kohler. “The legislature should act this session by adopting the Wisconsin
Safe Climate Act (SB81/AB157), which builds on global warming legislation
adopted by Minnesota. By passing this
bill, we can take a big step toward reducing global warming emissions in
Wisconsin and meeting the goals of the Midwest Regional Accord.”
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Wisconsin Environment is a statewide, non-partisan, non-profit
environmental advocacy organization and is the new home of WISPIRG’s
environmental work.
