The state Global Warming Task Force's deadline date for e-mailing comments regarding the transportation policy templates is December 8. To view all the draft policies, offer your own comment, and review public comment already submitted, refer to the 'Draft Policy Templates & Comments' webpage on the DNR's website at: <http://dnr.wi.gov/environmentprotect/gtfgw/templates/index.html>.
Forwarded below is a copy of the comments I submitted this week on the template called "Coordinated Campaign to Motivate Sustainable Behavior Change", includes a transportation component. transportation. The deadline for commenting on the that template has been extended to December 10th. Mike Neuman "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." - Martin Luther King, Jr. http://www.geocities.com/mtneuman/tribute_flag.html ------- Michael Neuman's Comments on "Coordinated Campaign to Motivate Sustainable Behavior Change" Template ------- Comments on Conservation and Energy Efficiency Workgroup Template "Coordinated Campaign to Motivate Sustainable Behavior Change" The IPCC 4th Assessment Report <http://ipcc-wg1.ucar.edu/wg1/docs/WG1AR4_SPM_PlenaryApproved.pdf> concludes that warming of the climate system due to the continuing build up of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases as a result of human activity is now "unequivocal", citing recent increases in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice, and rising global mean sea level as evidence. The IPCC further states that the warming "tends to reduce land and ocean uptake of atmospheric carbon dioxide, thereby increasing the fraction of anthropogenic emissions that remains in the atmosphere even more". Hot extremes, heat waves, and heavy precipitation events will continue to become more frequent, it says. Unless we act now to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on a broad, massive and timely scale, the severity of adverse impacts to our economy, public health and the environment will continue to grow in time. Therefore, I believe the Task Force needs to forward a plan of action to the governor that will dramatically reduce Wisconsin's contribution of greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere. The sooner such a plan gets put into action the better, as many other states and countries are looking toward Wisconsin, a traditional leader in sensible environmental protection strategies, before they themselves take meaningful action. Given the conclusion that transportation and energy use are two of the largest greenhouse gas emitting sources in Wisconsin and that they are generated mostly by behavior characteristics -- the number of miles people drive and the amount of energy they use in their homes are both behavioral factors -- the plan of action ought concentrate most heavily on encouraging Wisconsinites to drive less and use less energy in their homes. Positive incentives to encourage people to reduce their driving and energy use are win-win since reducing driving will also mean fewer other pollution emissions to the air besides greenhouse gases, possibly less urban sprawl, reduced consumption of fuel, reduced need for highway and power plant expansions and fewer highway crashes and transmission line expansions. Consumer behavior resulting in greenhouse gas emissions can be also be directly influenced by changes by increasing the price of fuel and/or electricity. However raising prices (by increasing fuel or utility taxes) would be perceived more as a negative approach for encouraging fuel conservation and less driving. Adverse effects of increasing the price could be dampened by re channeling the tax moneys back into a program which would offer positive financial incentives, or "rebates", to drive less and use less energy in each household. In the utility sector, the power companies should be required to offer state households "positive financial incentives" (rewards) for keeping their overall annual energy use at levels substantially below the average (per capita). This would increase the household's awareness of their amount of monthly energy use and serve as an excellent incentive to change their behavior to use less energy, or take steps to be more energy efficient in the home. Similarly, there is no better way to increase public awareness of one's annual driving miles than by offering households who drive money in return for successfully reducing or holding down their personal or household driving mileage over the year to more sustainable levels. I recommended in my testimony at the public input session on August 6 in Madison that the Task Force Workgroup consider advancing a proposal to offer positive financial incentives (rebates) to Wisconsin individuals and families who are able to hold to annual motor vehicle miles down to much below average levels (including not driving at all), and/or to use substantially less fuel burning derived energy in their home. I hand delivered a manuscript called "Conserve, NOW!: Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Other Environmental Costs by Offering Financial Incentives that Reward Less Driving, Flying and Home Energy Use" to a Task Force representative at the public input session that day but I see no mention of this strategy in any of the Templates by the Conservation and Energy Efficiency or the Transportation Workgroups. Significant greenhouse gas emission reductions from Wisconsin can be only be achieved by adopting a multitude of different strategies all aimed at the same purpose -- reducing aggregate volumes of greenhouse gases emitted by Wisconsin sources. I request that applicable Global Warming Task Force Workgroups at least provide evidence that they considered my recommendations before the Global Warming Task Force advances it's plan to the Governor of Wisconsin. You may also wish to view of copy of the following earlier version of the proposal, a copy of which I sent to the Governor Doyle in 2003: http://www.danenet.org/bcp2006/neuman_gw_letter.pdf http://www.danenet.org/bcp2006/neuman_gw.pdf Michael T. Neuman _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [email protected] http://www.danenet.org/mailman/listinfo/bikies
