Fri, 27 Jun 2008 02:40:02 GMT Wis. task force OKs global warming recommendations
SUN PRAIRIE, Wis. (AP) Wisconsin utilities should slash greenhouse gas levels to only about one-quarter of 1990 levels by tracking emissions, considering nuclear power and joining cap-and-trade programs, Gov. Jim Doyle's global warming task force recommended Thursday. The panel approved the plan on a 23-3 vote, but business and utility representatives warned it would lead to higher electric bills. ''It's not perfect. It's not ideal. It's as good as it can be,'' said Margi Kindig, a citizen member from Madison. ''It's not easy to change.'' Doyle created the task force in April 2007 to find ways to combat climate change in Wisconsin, saying higher temperatures could cause drought, destroy wetlands and reduce already-low Lake Michigan levels. The plan calls for utilities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 2005 levels in the next six years. By 2022 they should slash that by 22 percent, bringing emissions to 1990 levels. By 2050 levels should be 70 percent lower than that. The task force suggested utilities document greenhouse gas levels for expert and public review and document plans to reduce them. The panel stopped short of recommending new nuclear plants, saying instead utilities should be allowed to propose new ones under certain conditions, including reasonable cost and whether it would help meet emission goals. Wisconsin has had a moratorium on new nuclear plant construction for more than two decades. Utilities should join either a federal or regional cap-and-trade greenhouse gas program. Such programs generally involve setting of caps and credits on production of those gases. Any utility emitting levels higher than those allotted would have to buy credits from those emitting lower levels. Utilities also should begin emission reductions early to reduce long-term costs for consumers and businesses. The recommendations go on to suggest Wisconsin adopt California's auto emission standards and concentrate on producing low-carbon fuel such as ethanol and biomass. They also suggest General Motors produce fuel-efficient vehicles at its Janesville plant rather than close it. The automaker plans to shut the plant down in 2010. Task force member Todd Holschbach, government relations director for the Nature Conservancy, called the recommendations a critical first step in Wisconsin's fight against global warming. Kristine Euclide, general counsel for Madison Gas & Electric, was more guarded. She said the utility supports the recommendations, but they'll be costly and ratepayers will have to foot the bill. She said real change must start with people's behavior. Todd Swanson, vice president of administration for Brillion-based Ariens Company, which produces lawnmowers, voted against the plan. He said it would drive up businesses' electric bills and a regional cap-and-trade system would give competitors elsewhere in the nation too much of an advantage. John Pearse, controller of the Janesville GM plant and task force member, voted against the recommendations. He said the company supported almost all the recommendations, but the California emission standards were a deal-breaker because they're too demanding. Rising gas prices will probably do the most to cut emissions from cars because they'll keep people from driving, he said. ''That will probably do more to reduce greenhouse gases that anything,'' he said. Panel co-chairwoman Tia Nelson, secretary of the state Board of Commissioners of Public Lands, said she thought the plans offered a balance between emission reduction and economic impact. She said the plan sets Wisconsin on the path toward fighting climate change. The panel plans to combine the recommendations with another set of suggestions it issued in February and craft a final report due out later this summer. Doyle spokesman Lee Sensenbrenner said the governor will review the report and decide how to implement its recommendations. Nelson said the panel won't let the recommendations disappear on a shelf somewhere. ''The momentum for acting on climate change grows every day,'' she said. http://wcco.com/wisconsinwire/22.0.html?type=local&state=WI&category=n&filename=WI--GlobalWarming-Wis.xml ____________________________________________________________ Are you safe? Click for quotes on a home security system. http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/fc/Ioyw6i3ni3dCX2XMfwhvrhpSdyCI1lN1FJ9Ezb2PYpuAgehHPvSYCv/ _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [email protected] http://www.danenet.org/mailman/listinfo/bikies
