Carper Praises California Agreement on Climate Change

WASHINGTON (Aug. 30, 2006) – Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and author of legislation to curb CO2 emissions from power plants, today praised a climate-change agreement reached yesterday by California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and leaders in the California State Assembly: “I applaud Governor Schwarzenegger and leaders in the California Assembly for their forward-looking agreement on climate change. Given the size and scope of California’s economy, this is a significant victory for those of us who know that climate change is real and who understand that we need to take action now to avert major environmental problems later. As important as this victory is, we can’t address global warming in a piecemeal fashion or a state-by-state approach. We need a federal policy in this area to give businesses regulatory certainty and to let them know what will be expected of them as we curb the man-made causes of climate change. My hope is that this agreement in California will help spur federal action, and that Washington will finally get serious about doing something on global warming.” Carper is the author of the Clean Air Planning Act, which, in addition to reducing power-plant emissions of mercury, nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide, would also institute a cap-and-trade program for CO2. The bill is cosponsored by Sens. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., Judd Gregg, R-N.H., Lincoln Chafee, R-R.I., Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., Chris Dodd, D-Conn., and Mary Landrieu, D-La. For more information on CAPA, go to carper.senate.gov.